|
MOTHER of PEACE
CHAPTER 10. The Challenge Of Realizing A Heavenly World
2. God's embrace ends all tears
Until 2018, I had never heard of Gorée Island. It is located just off the coast of Senegal in West Africa, thousands of miles from Korea. However, as our World Summit Africa 2018 approached, I forged a profound relationship with Gorée Island.
The bean-shaped island of Gorée is now a tourist attraction drawing visitors from all over the world. As the ferry sailed from Dakar Harbor across the azure sea toward Gorée Island, tourists from various countries, enthralled by the scenery and atmosphere, were chattering in wonder and taking photos. However, an intense pain arose in my heart. I already was feeling that the bitter tears of grief shed by thousands of slaves in transit through that island could fill the world's oceans. The beautiful island of Gorée that we were approaching must be the most sorrowful island in the world.
Dakar is located along a continental protrusion on the west coast of Africa. It is the closest point of transit from West Africa to North America and Europe. This geographical location may be used for good today, but for nearly 500 years it was used in the transatlantic slave trade, one of history's cruelest and most inhumane practices.
When European missionaries came to Africa in the name of Christ, some were righteous, but there were also people who failed to remain true to Christ's essence, who prioritized the monetary interests of their respective nations over Jesus' teachings. As European colonizers and their local collaborators exploited the God-given natural resources of Africa, they invested little in educating the people. Instead, they dehumanized and enslaved much of the indigenous population. From the fifteenth century on, European colonial powers flocked to Africa, plundering the continent's resources and enslaving the local populations. Men, women and children were placed in chains, forcibly taken to Gorée Island and shipped off to slavery in Europe and the Americas.
While at Gorée Island, captives were chained so heavily that it was nearly impossible for them to walk. They were starved until just before being sold at auction, when they were force-fed a diet of beans so they would gain weight. If they became seriously ill aboard the slave ship, they were thrown overboard into the ocean. The once-peaceful island of Gorée was a slave camp filled with screams, tears and grief.
The slave trade continued for hundreds of years, and it is estimated that more than 20 million Africans were sold into slavery, many passing through the slave house on Gorée Island. No one knows how many innocent lives were lost at sea during the voyages. As the True Mother, it broke my heart to know that such atrocities were committed by many who prayed in the name of Jesus Christ. Knowing these things, I wanted to visit Gorée Island and liberate the historical agony and heartbreak of all the Africans who suffered due to the scourge of slavery.
The throngs of people taking photos of its historic sites easily overlook the reminders of this tragic past. It is a small island, with the seaside easily reached by a 20-minute walk either to the east or west. During my tour, I saw that visitors were impressed by its many European-style buildings. One tourist remarked, “Walking along these cobblestone streets reminds me of European neighborhoods.” Another said, “These European houses are so beautiful and full of character.'
I looked at the beautiful houses built for the European slave traders, and the contrast with the slave camp located barely a hundred feet behind them could not have been greater. The House of Slaves is a two-story building. The slave traders lived on the second floor, while innocent Africans captured and brought there from throughout the continent were kept on the first floor while awaiting to be boarded onto slave ships. What is now a tourist site was the epicenter of the West African slave trade. The holding cells were like caves-dark, damp, with no natural sunlight, and so low and cramped that one has to bend down to enter.
Most visitors and dignitaries tour the second floor, but I spent my time in the slave cells on the first floor. Holding onto the frame of the Door of No Return, I shed tears, along with the mayor of Gorée and everyone present, as I prayed for Africa to be freed from the pain and resentment caused by slavery. Liberating those who have ascended differs from comforting those who are alive on earth. Both are possible through the earnest prayer of God's only begotten Daughter, who carries the mission to save humanity. Facing the silent, grieving walls of the Slave House, I forever broke the miserable chains of Africa's oppression.
The slave house was built with stones and contained cramped, gloomy cells. At the end of a narrow corridor with cells on either side was the infamous Door of No Return. The men, women and children who went through this door onto slave ships sailing for the Americas were never seen again by their families. As I stood at that door, I could hear the cries and weeping of countless Africans taken against their will. My grief increased when I witnessed tourists laughing and joking as they passed by the slave cells. But I also saw families frown and sigh in sadness at the sight of these reminders of human cruelty. One mother leaned over a red brick staircase and offered a tearful prayer. She seemed hopeful that her prayer might contribute to healing centuries of cruelty and misery.
The anguished cries of Africans should be heard and their plight embraced. Humankind's long, painful history of exploitation and deprivation of freedom must come to an end. This was my motivation as I traveled thousands of miles to come to Gorée Island and walk in this still pitiable and sorrowful land of Africa. Having seen the slave cells and the Door of No Return on the first floor, I did not take the stairs going to the second floor where the slave owners lived. I instead made my way to the courtyard. There, together with Goree Island Mayor Augustin Senghor and his wife, and many local officials, I offered a prayer for the liberation of all Africans who died as victims of slavery.
A short walk brought us to a small square. Along one of the yellow-painted walls were several small plaques honoring eminent leaders who had visited the island, including Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Mother Teresa and John Paul II. As they unveiled a plaque with my name and read the inscription, Mayor Senghor said, “This doesn't fully embody how grateful and indebted we feel, but it will stand for eons as an enduring symbol of the precious heart you have brought here.” Many among the crowd expressed their thanks to me for liberating Africa from the weight of 500 years of suffering. It was a heartfelt token of appreciation from the people of Senegal and, I felt, the continent.
Following the unveiling, the Little Angels moved everyone to tears with beautiful Senegalese songs they had learned and rehearsed over many hours. As we made our way to the pier to depart, I told the mayor I wanted to leave a gift behind that would benefit the whole island. When we reached the pier, we could hear the sound of a motorboat approaching. It was a water ambulance I had prepared as a gift to Gorée Island for passenger and emergency patient transport. Christened with the name Victoria, it reflected our common hope that, although innumerable lives have been lost over the centuries, no others will be lost for the lack of a medical boat.
In Africa, the plight of many remains bleak. Despite abundant natural resources and wondrous scenic beauty, poverty is rampant. Nevertheless, Africans are kind, compassionate and diligent. God has called the peoples of Africa to shine as bright, immutable, heavenly creations. Africans make me feel the heart of our Creator, our Heavenly Parent.