The city of Badagry was a beehive of cultural fiesta as the 5th edition of the Badagry Diaspora festival, tagged the “Door of Return” was thrown opened to welcome diaspora returnees who were eager to reconnect with their root.
The returnees were welcomed at the monumental gate on the Badagry waterside by the Lagos State government, led by the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, alongside the Chairman of Nigerians Diaspora Committee (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, amidst well-wishers, after taking an emotional reconnecting journey as part of the ceremony.
Among the returnees at the festival were American music icon, Jeffrey Glenn Daniels of the famous Shalamar musical group; Dr. David Anderson, leader of the diaspora contingents; Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmero, and Brazilian Consul General, Mr. Celso de Arruda Franca. Others were Haitians, Jamaicans, and a group from the United Kingdom.
The returnees reenacted the long trek through the Slave Route to the ‘Point of No Return’ monument at Gberefu ancient sea-port, feeling the pains and anguish their ancestors experienced before returning through the symbolic ‘Door of Return’ accompanied by colourful boat regattas. This signalled total liberation and reconnection with their ancestral land for recognition.
Prof Soyinka, while embracing the returnees with love and joy, said the significance of the festival is an important voyage marking a new beginning in the life of every diasporan. “This journey consists of two parts; the setting out and the returning,” he said, noting that the voyage will not be completed without the other.
Soyinka said that the celebration is a formal beginning of a stupendous event that will bring back all the African diasporans longing to reconnect to their roots. “They are willing to come back and we are willing to receive them,” he said, noting that the big event, ‘Voyage of Returns’ will start soon.
The NIDCOM chairman, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in her speech said: “This is very historic in the sense that Badagry has fully assumed the honour of accommodating the returnees from Diaspora under the auspice of NIDCOM.”
Dabiri-Erewa, assured that President Bola Tinubu would receive more than 2,000 people coming on a historical voyage to Badagry, Lagos State by next year’s edition of the festival: “Next year, under the chairmanship of Prof Soyinka, we are planning historical voyage events that will experience a real journey from Brazil and Cuba to Nigeria.”
She also said the event was just a test-run of what to expect by next year when the symbolic big ‘Door of Return’ will be completed for opening. She mentioned that President Tinubu started Black Heritage Festival in Lagos when he was the Governor of Lagos State. She commended the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for building the permanent Door of Return in Badagry.
Mr. Idris Aregbe, Special Adviser on Tourism, Arts and Culture, who represented the governor, described the festival as a “living testament to Lagos State commitment to cultural renaissance and diaspora unity.”
Mr. Aregbe praised the people of Badagry for sustaining the historic legacy as the cradle of return, adding that the State will continue to support the festival for its global recognition.
Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Tourism, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Bonu Solomon, a Badagry indigene, lauded the festival’s symbolic value, saying it is a heritage bridge between Africa and her offsprings abroad. He assured of continued legislative backing for initiatives that promote tourism, culture and the preservation of Lagos historical identity.
Commenting on the cultural importance of the diaspora festival, with emphasis on the town’s tourism and economic growth, the Badagry Local Government Chairman, Babatunde Hunpe, noted the sacred role of Badagry as the soil of return, offering his readiness to keep supporting the festival and other cultural programmes.
Ambassador of Cuba to Nigeria, Miriam Palmero, expressed delight at the enduring spiritual and cultural bond between Africa and the Caribbean.
Dr. David Anderson, the leader of the returnees from United States, described the “Door of Return” as a door of joy and happiness, while the famous music star, Jeffrey Daniels, who represents the diaspora creatives at the festival, said it was simply a joy to return to a land that they belong.
The ceremony featured cultural parades, performances and boat regattas to herald the returnees. The boat show at Badagry waterside rekindled and signalled the returning of regatta boat parade from the Lagos Island where it held sway for some time, back to its original base in Badagry.
This year’s festival, marking the 5th edition, was dedicated to the memory of Mere Jah, a Pan-Africanist who passed on April 2024 at Ouida in Benin Republic after spending 28 years as a returnee on African soil having voluntarily repatriated to Africa from Guadeloupe in 1977.
The returnees were also taken round to some monumental heritage sites and museums such as the Brazilian Baracoon, Mobee Family Slave Museum, The Seriki Abass Slave Baracoon, and the Point of No Return Monument which hold many relics of the trajectory of the dark era of slavery.
Other cultural displays at the event were the Badagry Royal carnival procession, Ogun Badagry (Aje goddess of wealth) festival celebrations, cultural display featuring Sato Drums and Vothun ritual Performances, and Zangbeto masqueraders’ procession.
Credit: Vanguard
