contact
Maison des Esclaves
P.O. Box 29
Île de Gorée
Senegal
Tel: 221-33-821-7438
Fax: 221-33-821-7438
African Sites of Conscience Network
Conditions of Slavery
Up to 200 slaves were held on the ground floor of the slave traders houses, packed into cells according to sex and age. The cells were damp, with very little air and practically no light. Children aged six to seventeen were forced to sleep on the floors of their cells, packed like sardines in a box.
Captives were viewed not as humans, but as a commodity. They were assessed by their physical attributes for men, their muscles, the length of their arms, the whiteness of their teeth. For women and girls, by their breasts and potential for child bearing.
The slave traders singled out girls and young women to be their sexual partners. If they became pregnant, they were freed and released to live on the island or in the mainland town of St. Louis.
Men were divided into groups, depending on weight. Their value was determined by their weight and muscle. Men weighing less than 60 kg. (132 lbs.) were fattened up on beans during the three-month wait. If they didn’t gain enough weight, they were locally sold at auction or became the house slaves of the traders. Sick slaves were thrown into the sea.
Although bound by ball and chain at foot and neck, men were required to work during their stay, returning daily to work sites to break and carry rocks, roll water barrels and unload boats. The women cooked, and children were given household tasks.
Those who rebelled or refused to obey were locked in special cells, sometimes in complete darkness. Those who tried to escape were beaten or thrown in the sea to drown or be devoured by sharks.
