February is Black History month and what better place to explore and share with you than my trip to Badagry. My trip to visit Badagry was a bit unplanned but nevertheless fulfilling because I had a chance not only to hear about history but to get a thorough walk-though of the slave trade in Nigeria. Badagry is notably known for the slave trade to foreigners. I had the pleasure of having knowledgble tour guides walk me through the four key sights in the area over the course of 2 to 3 hours: The first storey building in Nigeria, The Chief Mobee Royal Family Original Slave Relic Museum, Seriki Faremi Williams Slave Museum and the Badagary Slave Route.
The history of the slave trade told of how 40 slaves were sold in exchange for an umbrella to how slaves were kept in inhumane conditions some for months before they were sold and shipped away. I had a pleasure to see history in a way I have never done before and this was indeed due to the impressive tour guides.
Rather than bore you further with a history lesson, I will leave you with visuals of my trip. Please also see here for a short vlog of my trip.
THE FIRST STOREY BUILDING IN NIGERIA
Standing in front of the first storey building
Tour guide at the First Storey Building talking about the quality of the materials then went into the building of the house
Being shown the safe that was located in the first storey building along with currencies that were used then by the British
Being shown the safe that was located in the first storey building along with currencies that were used then by the British
This well is the only drinkable well in Badagry (located in the compound of the first storey building)…of course, I had a taste and have to admit that it tasted pretty good.
SERIKI FAREMI WILLIAMS ABASS SLAVE MUSEUM
The entrance of the museum
Baracoons are enclosures in which black slaves were confined for a limited period
Our tour guide sharing history with us
Some of the instruments of torture
CHIEF MOBEE FAMILY SLAVES RELICS MUSEUM
Certainly not the biggest museum in the world but holds history nevertheless
The Museum
The original drinking bowl from which slaves drank from
Depictions of slave treatment
ORIGINAL SLAVE ROUTE (THE POINT OF NO RETURN)
Our transportation from badagry to the island of “the point of no return” (approx. a 10 min journey)
On the slave route on the island
The only official store on the island (where I purchased the cutest coconut bag)
Arriving at the point of no return (It took approx. a 25-30 min walk to get from where the bought disembarked to reach this point by the atlantic)
What I loved: The tour guides who were very thorough and the closeness of all the sites visited which made it easy to walk and see most things.
What I hated: Not much but bear in mind that the trip to Badagry can be a long one (65KM from the mainland Lagos) if you do not make way at the right time (i.e. traffic-prone times)
Would I go back: Certainly! Especially to showcase to others who haven’t been. It is certainly one of the best tour sites I have visited in Nigeria.
Costs:
– Boat from Badagry to the island of the point of no return was N5000 for three of us (considering no one else was on the boat with us. Apparently its normally N1000 each if it was busy. N5000 included a tour guide that guided us through out the whole island.
– Each site cost approximately N200 – N500
Travel Tips: (1) Make sure to bring drinks with you to keep hydrated (there were options for drinks but I believe limited)
(2) Costs for all tour sites are negotiable and as such, make sure to bargain according to what you believe you can afford
(3) If you have an issue with walking 25 mins, please avoid going to the point of no return. There were no other means of transporting for tourist on arrival on the island so either you walk or just wait. (My 60 year old aunt came with along with me and was sooo mad lol)
I hope you enjoyed the write-up. Let me know if you haven questions about my trip. As always, I hope that I have inspired you to visit this gem is history.
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