Joseph Opala, the exhibit creator for Bunce Island: A British Slave Castle in Sierra Leone, draws on his 30 years of research to discuss Bunce Island’s history and ties to the American slave trade. From this site off the coast of West Africa, slave traders sent nearly 30,000 African captives to the Americas from 1670 to 1807. Many were shipped to South Carolina and Georgia. The Gullah who live in this region today are descendants of these slaves.

Opala teaches at James Madison University in Virginia and is active in Bunce Island preservation efforts.  The exhibit is on display through August 8, 2010, at the Central Library.  The Sierra Leone United Descendants' Association is the exhibit co-sponsor. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event.