Bunce Island, Sierra Leone in West Africa was a high traffic slave trade area in the early 18th century. Serving as the point of no return for African men, women and children, the slaves would be headed to the rice plantations of Georgia or South Carolina for trade after capture. Hence, the stretch of land where Bunce Island fell was referred to as the “rice coast.”

Though an unfavorable memory, Bunce Island is a symbol of African and African-American history. Now overrun with jungle life, the remains are comprised of a deteriorating slave castle. However, a band of archeologists and historians from the United States are coming together to restore and preserve Bunce Island.