Despite a fraught and controversial history this African island holds a powerful monument to the tragedy of the slave trade.

This tiny, tranquil Senegalese island serves as a powerful symbol of the Atlantic slave trade.

Built by Portuguese colonizers, the palace is now the seat of power for the independent nation.

This monument memorializes a violent massacre where colonial police killed 50 striking dockworkers.

The school produces some of Africa's most talented acrobats and contortionists.

Tens of thousands of Africans rescued from slave ships passed through this gate before being settled in Sierra Leone.

One of the most important Krio heritage sites in the country.

The oldest of its kind in the country, this tree sits where formerly enslaved people are said to have founded the city of Freetown.

One of the oldest brick structures in Freetown.

A seaside cemetery honors the Commonwealth soldiers and sailors that died in Sierra Leone during World War I and II.

This cemetery contains a small fraction of the hundreds of Sierra Leoneans who died in the world wars.

On a hill in Regent sits the oldest stone church in Sierra Leone.

A rehabilitation center for confiscated, orphaned, and abandoned chimpanzees.

On an idyllic island off the coast of Sierra Leone, remnants of the defense of the slave trade and its later abolition.

Empty since 1989, now falling into ruin.

A comprehensive museum dedicated to Africa's oldest modern republic.

On the Pakistan-India border the militaries perform an elaborate theater of aggression each and every night.

This peaceful Sikh gurudwara serves around 50,000 free meals every day within its gilded walls.

Eternal flame said to be a Hindu Goddesses fiery tounge.

The art and tradition of Tibetan costumes are preserved through these dolls made by Buddhist monks.

Remote town home to Himachalis, Israelis, and tons of hashish.

Buddhist monk remarkably preserved because he started the mummification process while still living.

This hilltop warren of monastic dwellings is the result of centuries worth of Mongol attacks.

These bridges were designed to guide the soul on its spiritual journey to heaven.