GOREE ISLAND, Senegal, Jan 21 (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen spoke on Saturday of the “unspeakable cruelty” and long-lasting consequences of the transatlantic slave trade, but said she was heartened by the signs of progress and renewal both in the United States and Africa.
Yellen visited the House of Slaves, a fort built in the late 18th century on the island of Goree, off the coast of Senegal, as a transit point for humans before they were forcibly transported across the Atlantic. while continuing a visit to three countries in Africa.
“I take from this place the importance of redoubling our commitment to fight for our shared principles and values of freedom and human rights wherever they are threatened: in Africa, in the United States and throughout the world,” he wrote in the note. of the visitor Log in.
The site, now a museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, often attracts high-profile American visitors, including former President Barack Obama, the first American president of African descent, who visited with his family in 2013.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the island “a place of reconciliation and hope” when he visited in December 2021, noting in the record that it was the place where talks began to end apartheid in his own country.
Yellen, visibly moved at times, underscored the enduring ties that unite Africa and the United States.
“Ultimately, the island of Gorée reminds us that the histories of Africa and the Americas are intimately connected. We know that the tragedy did not stop with the generation of humans that were taken from here,” he said.
Gorée Mayor Augustin Senghor presented Yellen with a certificate naming her a lifetime ambassador for the island’s history.
The former Federal Reserve chairman, whose work in economics has focused on ending historic disparities that have plagued black Americans long after slavery was abolished in 1865, said both Africa and the United States had made progress. tremendous, but that more work was needed to counter the brutal consequences of the slave trade.
Under Yellen, the US Treasury has established a racial equity task force that has drawn the ire of Republicans, and the department has worked hard to improve economic conditions for communities of color.
It was critical to tell the story of enslaved people, which “while filled with suffering, is also filled with perseverance and hope,” Yellen said, citing the important contributions of African-American men and women to America’s economy and democracy. .
“With memory, I think, can come progress and renewal,” he said, noting what he called “signs of vibrant life around Gorée: a prominent art scene, a place of education, and thousands of people who call this place home.” “.
Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Edited by Toby Chopra
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