Realizing Autonomy: Building the Capacity of Senegal’s First Underwater Archaeologists

Summary

In April and May of 2017, two National Park Service (NPS) staff from the Submerged Resources Center (SRC) joined Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) staff and post-graduate students in Dakar, Senegal. The three-week project was a response to a request for technical assistance by the U.S. State Department, UCAD, and other partners for underwater archaeological training and capacity building as part of the Slave Wrecks Project (SWP). While in Senegal, SRC staff contributed to ongoing marine remote-sensing survey, site location, and wreck documentation efforts surrounding Goree Island. However, the primary objective was to train and better equip the seven UCAD students to conduct further research and lead the search for submerged cultural heritage independently. This ongoing work and training will continue to build the Senegalese capacity and foster the protection, preservation, and study of maritime heritage sites associated with the international slave trade in West Africa.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Benefits of Collaboration: Multi-agency Partnerships and Capacity Building within Underwater Archaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 634