Gorée

Gorče ( ) is a small settlement on a river terrace above the right bank of the Drava River in the Municipality of Dravograd in the Carinthia region in northern Slovenia, right on the border with Austria.

( ; "Gorée Island"; ) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar ( ), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trade. Its population as of the 2013 census was 1,680 inhabitants¹, giving a density of , which is only half the average density of the city of Dakar. Gorée is both the smallest and the least populated of the 19 of Dakar. Other important centres for the slave trade from Senegal were further north, at Saint-Louis, Senegal, or to the south in the Gambia, at the mouths of major rivers for trade. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was one of the first 12 locations in the world to be designated as such in 1978. The name is a corruption of its original Dutch name Goeree, named after the Dutch island of Goeree. The island was also known as Palma, or in Portuguese. ==History and slave trade== .]] Gorée is a small island in length and in width sheltered by the Peninsula. Now part of the city of Dakar, it was a minor port and site of European settlement along the coast. Being almost devoid of drinking water, the island was not settled before the arrival of Europeans, although the presence of domesticated sheep noted by Portuguese explorers indicates the island was frequented by local peoples of the nearby mainland. The island of Gorée was one of the first places in Africa to be frequented by European traders, as the Portuguese traders established themselves on the island in 1444¹. According to Valentim Fernandes, the Portuguese established a chapel with dry stone walls and a roof made out of straw on the island. This chapel was visited by Vasco da Gama in 1502 and probably also by Amerigo Vespucci, Tristão da Cunha and Afonso de Albuquerque in 1501 and 1506, respectively. ==Administration== With the foundation of Dakar in 1857, Gorée gradually lost its importance. In 1872, the French colonial authorities created the two communes of Saint-Louis and Gorée, the first western-style municipalities in West Africa, with the same status as any commune in France. Dakar, on the mainland, was part of the commune of Gorée, whose administration was located on the island. However, as early as 1887, Dakar was detached from the commune of Gorée and was turned into a commune in its own right. Thus, the commune of Gorée became limited to its tiny island. In 1891, Gorée still had 2,100 inhabitants¹, while Dakar only had 8,737 inhabitants. However, by 1926 the population of Gorée had declined to only 700 inhabitants¹, while the population of Dakar had increased to 33,679 inhabitants. Thus, in 1929 the commune of Gorée was merged with Dakar. The commune of Gorée disappeared, and Gorée was now only a small island of the commune of Dakar. In 1996, a massive reform of the administrative and political divisions of Senegal was voted by the Parliament of Senegal. The commune of Dakar, deemed too large and too populated to be properly managed by a central municipality, was divided into 19 to which extensive powers were given. The commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19 . It coordinates the activities of the , much as Greater London coordinates the activities of the London boroughs. Thus, in 1996 the of Gorée was resurrected, although it is now only a (but in fact with powers quite similar to a ). The new of Gorée (officially, the ) took possession of the old (town hall) in the center of the island. This had been used as the of the former commune of Gorée between 1872 and 1929. The of Gorée is ruled by a municipal council ( ) democratically elected every 5 years, and by a mayor elected by members of the municipal council. The current mayor of Gorée is Augustin Senghor, elected in 2002. ==In popular culture== Gorée Island was the Pit Stop for Leg 4 of The Amazing Race 6, and the Slave House itself was visited during Leg 5. Gorée Island has been featured in many songs, due to its history related to the slave trade. The following songs have significant references to Gorée Island: Steel Pulse– "Door Of No Return" on African Holocaust (2004) Doug E. Fresh– "Africa" Akon – "Senegal" Burning Spear– "One Africa" on Jah Is Real (2008) Alpha Blondy & Solar System– "Goree (Senegal)" on Dieu (1994) Nuru Kane – "Goree" Sinsemilia - "De l’histoire" Gilberto Gil – " ", composed by Gilberto Gil and José Carlos Capinam The father of French rapper Booba (born Elie Yaffa) is from Gorée. In his song " " he mentions the island, saying " " (Gorée is my land/hometown). Also, in his song "0.9", he says " " (When I was 10 I saw Gorée, since then my tears have been eternal." Marcus Miller – "Gorée (Go-ray)" In 2007 the Swiss director made a documentary called Retour à Gorée (Return to Gorée). Greek avantgarde classical composer Iannis Xenakis wrote a piece for harpsichord and ensemble entitled A l`ile de Gorée (1986). ==Gallery== File:SENEGAL.jpg|Harbor of Gorée File:Dakar, glavni grad Senegala.jpg|Dakar's skyline as seen from Gorée File:Senegalese boy in Gore Island.jpg|Senegalese boy on Gorée Island File:Street in Goree.jpg|Street in Gorée File:Musée de la mer de l'île de Gorée.jpg File:Memorial to slavery (Île de Gorée, Senegal).jpg|Memorial to slavery ==Notes== ==References== ==External links== UNESCO Photos of Goree on Flickr Archaeological Research on Gorée , Rice University Gorée and the Slave Trade, Philip Curtin, African Threads, History Net George W. Bush's visit

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