After leaving South Africa to West Africa, one discovery made by the African American participants was that our European way of life is far different from our experiences in West Africa. In West Africa, we visited the Countries of Senegal and The Gambia. Bishop Braxton reminded us that Africa is a huge continent with many different cultures and ethnic groups. Africans in general do not all associate themselves with African Americans and it is a faux pas for African Americans to refer to themselves as relating to Africa as a whole.

Our African heritage was recognized in Senegal and The Gambian regions. Many of the slaves that arrived in South Carolina were from the Senegal and Gambian region. The Island of Juffereh in the Gambia is where Alex Haley found his roots. Our tour guide on Juffereh was the eight generation grandson of Kunta Kinteh, on whom Alex Haley based the history of his best seller Roots.

African Americans may find adapting to the way of life in Senegal and the Gambia quite difficult. The immense poverty and never ending heat (It felt like a 24 hour a day sauna) was a reminder of how good a life we have in the United States. The Door of No Return, located in the historical slave house on Goree Island, Senegal, is the last place on African soil where native Africans viewed their homeland before being transported to the New World as slaves. The visit to the slave house and museum proved quite emotional. Personal reflections of this experience included anger and empathy followed by a sense of closure. The curator told us that many Africans are very proud of African Americans and are not surprised by our success in America. The curator contributed this to the fact that slaves were carefully picked and had to be the strongest and the best. I cannot help but wonder that if this statement were true, and if the strongest and best had stayed would Africa be better off or any different today?