🤔 former slave-trading center gorée’s mayor & eu ambassador inaugurate square honoring europe on the island

The island of Gorée in Senegal has had a very intense relationship with Europe, to say the least. From the 15th to the 19th century, it was the largest slave-trading center on the African coast.
The island hosts a memorial called The House of Slaves (Maison des Esclaves) and its ‘Door of No Return’ to remember the horrors of the trade organized by Europeans.
So when city of Gorée Mayor Augustin Senghor and European Union Ambassador in Senegal Joaquín González-Ducay inaugurated ‘Europe Square’ (Place de l’Europe) on Wednesday, many were left scratching their head.

During his speech, the Mayor talked about the island’s long ‘relationship’ with several European countries, without ever mentioning what kind of relationship it was, and without mentioning how the European Union’s neocolonialist policies STILL affect Senegal and most African countries to this day.
“Gorée is European”, he said…

And even if he mentioned it, why honor Europe with a square? Aren’t there better ways to acknowledge Europe’s shameful deeds? In the current battle of ideas challenging neocolonialism, this looks like a shady move to make Europeans feel better.
Thoughts?

– Nounouche