- Title: Senegal slave island, moved by George Floyd's death, renames Europe Square
- Date: 8th July 2020
- Summary: GOREE ISLAND, SENEGAL (RECENT) (REUTERS) AERIAL OF GOREE ISLAND SQUARE AT THE ENTRANCE OF GOREE ISLAND SIGN ON TREE READING (French): "Elders' Square" / PRESIDENT OF GOREE ISLAND'S TOURISM COMMISSION AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GOREE INSTITUTE, DOUDOU DIA, SPEAKING TO ELDERLY MEN DIA WALKING AWAY DIA WALKING IN GOREE STREET DIA GREETING GOREE RESIDENT SIGN FOR EUROPE SQUARE AERIAL OF DIA WALKING ON NEWLY NAMED FREEDOM AND HUMAN DIGNITY SQUARE WITH DAKAR IN THE BACKGROUND (SOUDNBITE) (French) PRESIDENT OF GOREE ISLAND'S TOURISM COMMISSION AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GOREE INSTITUTE, DOUDOU DIA, SAYING: "What happened to George Floyd was the last straw, because of that the city council, together with the authorities and the local residents, started thinking about what Goree island should represent, what Goree Island should represent on the global stage. We think Goree is no longer the door to the journey of no return which symbolises suffering and humiliation. It's the door of return which this square has to symbolise, freedom. This door of return that has to symbolise for example, reconciliation, values of tolerance." AERIAL OF ESTREES FORT AND FREEDOM AND HUMAN DIGNITY SQUARE (SOUDNBITE) (French) PRESIDENT OF GOREE ISLAND'S TOURISM COMMISSION AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GOREE INSTITUTE, DOUDOU DIA, SAYING: "The world is dominated by emotions such as fear, humiliation and hope. And Gorée has to be the door to hope. The fear and humiliation that dominates elsewhere should not be the symbol of Gorée as it used to be. Today Gorée has to be a symbol of hope." VARIOUS OF STATUE OF LIBERATION ENTRANCE TO THE HOUSE OF SLAVES (SOUDNBITE) (French) PRESIDENT OF GOREE ISLAND'S TOURISM COMMISSION AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GOREE INSTITUTE, DOUDOU DIA, SAYING: "I think the name Europe Square was, in a way, a symbol of friendship sometimes, a symbol of friendship between peoples. But we also said to ourselves, courageously, that in another sense, it is celebrating the persecutor." GOREE RESIDENT WALKING IN ALLEY VARIOUS OF GOREE STREET SIGNS WITH FRENCH NAMES CHILDREN STANDING NEXT TO WATER (SOUNDBITE) (French) GOREE RESIDENT AND CHEF, ALASSANE NIANG, SAYING: "It's called Europe Square but the liberation of the slaves has happened ho long ago? So it can change now. For me, it could even be Africans Square. That would be better because the majority who live here are Black. The whites just come here to visit and see what Gorée is like but after they leave. So for us, the Senegalese - Africans - we deserve the square compared to the Europeans." VARIOUS OF OWNER OF GOREE RESTAURANT "LA RETROUVAILLE", AISSATOU BA, ENTERING BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (French) OWNER OF GOREE RESTAURANT "LA RETROUVAILLE", AISSATOU BA, SAYING: "Maybe it's because of what's happening in the United States, the Black man who was killed. That can bring change. I thought we should put his name on the square because a lot of Black people came through here because of slavery and I think it's good that they are changing the name." SIDE OF THE HOUSE OF SLAVES BORDERING THE OCEAN VARIOUS OF GOREE ISLAND COAST
- Embargoed: 22nd July 2020 12:03
- Keywords: europe freedom and human dignity square george floyd goree island slavery violence
- Location: GOREE ISLAND, SENEGAL
- City: GOREE ISLAND, SENEGAL
- Country: Senegal
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001CLY7K9J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Senegal's Goree Island, which for centuries served as a way station in the Transatlantic slave trade, has changed the name of its Europe Square in response to the death of George Floyd in the United States and the global movement it inspired.
It will now be known as Freedom and Human Dignity Square, the municipal council decided.
"What happened to George Floyd was the last straw, because of that the city council, together with the authorities and the local residents, started thinking about what Goree island should represent, what Goree Island should represent on the global stage. We think Goree is no longer the door to the journey of no return which symbolises suffering and humiliation. It's the door of return which this square has to symbolise, freedom. This door of return that has to symbolise for example, reconciliation, values of tolerence," said Doudou Dia, president of the island's tourism commission.
Lying off the Senegalese capital Dakar, Goree was a transit point over several centuries for enslaved Africans being shipped to the Americas. UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1978.
Today Dia hopes to change Goree's image globally.
"The world is dominated by emotions such as fear, humiliation and hope. And Gorée has to be the door to hope. The fear and humiliation that dominates elsewhere should not be the symbol of Gorée as it used to be. Today Gorée has to be a symbol of hope."
The palm tree-lined Europe Square, in the shadow of an old French fort at the island's northern tip, was given its name in 1998 in recognition of European funding for renovations at the World Heritage Site.
But some residents thought the name was nevertheless inappropriate.
"I think the name Europe Square was, in a way, a symbol of friendship sometimes, a symbol of friendship between peoples. But we also said to ourselves, courageously, that in another sense, it is celebrating the persecutor," Dia added.
These days, it is a popular tourist attraction with its cobblestoned streets and historic houses. It is known primarily for its House of Slaves, which several U.S. presidents, Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II have all visited.
Alassane Niang, a chef from Goree, said the move - which comes as governments around the world consider changing street names and bringing down public monuments associated with racism - was long overdue.
"It's called Europe Square but the liberation of the slaves has happened ho long ago? So it can change now. For me, it could even be Africans Square. That would be better because the majority who live here are Black. The whites just come here to visit and see what Gorée is like but after they leave. So for us, the Senegalese - Africans - we deserve the square compared to the Europeans," he said.
Restaurant owner on the tiny island, Aissatou Ba, said she thought it would also be good to name the square after George Floyd himself. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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