World Remembers the Slave Trade and Its Abolition in Badagry
It was with mixed feelings that we gathered in Badagry to commemorate the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition — a solemn occasion that compels us to remember the pain of the past, honour the resilience of those who suffered and reflect on our responsibility to preserve history with truth, dignity and purpose.
It is an opportunity to tell our story ourselves, preserve our heritage and ensure that generations yet unborn understand the historical forces that shaped our communities and the African continent.
It must be reiterated that Badagriians were not the people who were enslaved and sold through the town. Rather, Badagry became a major route, point of convergence and centre through which the transatlantic slave trade operated. This distinction is important. Our history must be told accurately, because Badagry’s heritage sites represent a painful chapter not only in the history of this community, but in the larger story of Africa and its encounter with the transatlantic slave trade.
Standing among traditional rulers, cultural custodians, tourism practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders, I was reminded that our heritage is both a responsibility and an opportunity. We cannot preserve what we do not understand, and we cannot meaningfully promote what we are unwilling to protect.
For me, promoting African tourism is not simply about inviting the world to visit Africa. It is about inviting the world to understand Africa through the eyes of Africans. Our museums, monuments, traditions, music, stories and cultural spaces are chapters of a living narrative that deserve to be preserved, interpreted and presented with dignity.
May we remember the victims without romanticising the tragedy. May we preserve the heritage without glorifying the painful history it represents. And may we transform the memory of yesterday into a more informed, dignified and prosperous tomorrow.
Badagry remembers. Africa remembers. And we must never forget.
