Over six days, nine Georgia southern community members embarked on a journey to Freetown, Sierra Leone to explore its connection to Coastal Georgia’s Gullah Geechee.

“I was struck by many connections between Sierra Leone and the Southeast U.S.,” said Kara Sweeney.“ The Krio language in Sierra Leone is similar to the Gullah language spoken here” she continued.

The journey was broken into three parts – enslavement, resistance and restoration.

Their first destination was Bunce Island where they explored enslavement. This island was where captured Africans were held before being transported primarily to Coastal Georgia.

Exploring resistance came in visiting Rogboniko Island and climbing Old Yagala Mountain, a steep six-mile mountain that allowed inhabitants to evade enslavement.

Finally, the group explored restoration by learning how slavery was abolished in Sierra Leone and the ways it connects to the coast’s Gullah Geechee in a lecture hosted in in Freetown.

The trip was led by Maxine Bryant the director of the Gullah Geechee Center and the Center for African Studies.