Slave Trade Expedition to Africa
Part 21: Tamara, fortress against time

As we embarked from the dock at Fotoba, the images of the hustle and bustle of slave trading remained etched in my mind. This was one of the places from which ten million slaves left Africa for America. Slavery was an economic reward for chiefs, slave traders, and planters who sustained the system for over 400 years.

A 20-minute ride to the other end of Fotoba Island landed us in Tamara, another virtually deserted village. Two fishermen squatted on posts that once supported a pier. A large military-type barge lay in dry dock. A few fishing boats floundered half submerged in the shallow surf.

Bah Oury, our ERA/-GUINEA coordinator, questioned the fishermen and determined we had come upon a Guinea Marine Base. "Give me ten minutes, then follow the trail up the hill," he said to us.

As we walked up the dusty hill, the modern history of Guinea began to unfold. A Russian military truck blocked the trail as it did during the era of Soviet influence (1960s and 1970s), its tires flat and windows broken out. At the top of the hill, a burned out French Catholic Church exhibited a sad story of retaliation against colonialism.

The harbor at Tamara held a military-type barge in dry dock and a few fishing boats.

Bah signaled us to come and put away the cameras. He had found the commander and set up an audience for us. As the shirtless Marine officer lay in his hammock, Bah explained our mission, then slipped him some cash. We had permission to continue.

The actual military base which guarded the entrance to Conakry harbor was on the other side of the hill and was manned by 14 men. It was off limits to us.

We passed the remains of the French colonial base - a school, three barracks, and two homes - all in ruins. A rusting Russian anti-aircraft cannon lay askew on its trailer. In a grove of trees was a Russian cannon at least eight yards long, its broken underbelly spewing out grimy metal coils.

At the top of the hill was a concrete artillery battery 20 yards across, 10 feet deep, with doors to underground bunkers. From here the French kept watch on German warships during WWII. When they left Guinea in 1960, they blew up the battery and the guns. During the Cold War, the Soviets sat in the bunkers waiting for an American invasion.

The only people we saw as we entered Tamara were two fishermen.

The latest threats to Guinea took place this summer. In June, the Guinea Navy reported Chinese fishing factories invading their waters. The US responded by sending a destroyer to the vicinity. The threat vanished when China agreed to send buses to an economically-strapped Guinea. Just last week, the Guinea Navy seized a Russian ship charging it with illegal entry into Guinea waters. The Russian sailors were released when new data revealed the ship was in international waters.

Perhaps, it was the commander in the hammock who sent word that China and Russia were invading Guinea. I wonder if he will be rewarded or removed from his cushy post.

(Next week:

This concrete battery once housed French cannon during World War II and Soviet cannon during the Cold War.

Rhoum relaxation)

This huge Russian cannon lay silently in a grove of trees. An old Russian truck blocked the trail. A burned-out Catholic church remained as a reminder of a disastrous French departure from Guinea. A rusting Russian anti-aircraft cannon remained from the era of Soviet influence in Guinea.