House of Slaves (Maison des Esclaves)

The House of Slaves (Maison des Esclaves) on Gorée Island is a historic building preserved and interpreted as a museum and memorial to victims of the Atlantic slave trade. Its museum was opened in 1962 and was curated by Boubacar Joseph Ndiaye until his death in 2009. The site includes the so-called "Door of No Return," which functions as a powerful symbol and pilgrimage focus for visitors from Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Scholars differ about the building's historical role and the number of enslaved people who were actually held there, and there is debate about the relative importance of Gorée Island within the broader Atlantic slave trade. Despite these historiographical disagreements, the House of Slaves retains significant cultural and memorial importance as a place of remembrance. The provided sources and notes do not report any paranormal phenomena, named spirits, or supernatural entities associated with the House of Slaves. Discussions in the sources concern historical interpretation and public memory rather than hauntings or unexplained events.