By Lawrence Enyoghasu And Oyinlola Pelumi Adewale
Badagry! It is one of the places in Lagos that should provide not only a cash cow of tourist attraction but also fun spots and pleasure ambience for fun seekers on weekends or during seasonal festivities such as Christmas and New Year. But, unfortunately, that is not so.
A travel from Mowo, the outer part of the town to the hinterland brings you into contact with alluring vistas of the historical town located on the coastal outskirts of the state. It not only shares a boundary with Beninese capital, Porto Novo, but also serves as an abode of various relics of the slave trade era: Point of No Return, Brazilian Barracoon, as well as historical and cultural monuments like the Nigerian First Storey building and Sato Drum.
The Jacksons’ futile attempt to develop Badagry
The town is also known for its fishing festivals and art. In the past, foreigners had trooped into the country to find their way to the town to physically relish the history it holds in its bowel. They included members of the Jackson family in the United
States who visited the place in February 2009 to see things for themselves. Among relics they were shown included the rugged slavery heavy chains weighing many metric tons and the Brazilian Barracoon, a cell that used to hold about 40 slaves before they were sold to slave masters and later transported across the Atlantic, to the Americas. The town also boasts of very rich museum containing various arts and slavery relics preserved for ages.
But Michael Jackson’s brother, Marlon’s plan to transform the site into an historic slave port in Nigeria by building a $3.4 billion slavery memorial that would double as a luxury resort and museum honouring the Jackson 5 was caught up in a controversy that eventually led to the death and burial of the dream. The idea was to use the Jackson name to attract African-American tourists looking to trace their roots back to Nigeria. Organisers believed that the plan would honour the history of the transatlantic slave trade and provide employment opportunities for Nigerians.
The developers claimed that the Badagry Historical Resort would be marketed to African-Americans as a mixture of luxury tourist attractions and historical education. Visitors would be able to see the route their ancestors walked before boarding slave ships. They could thereafter retire to a five-star hotel to drink cocktails by the Badagry beach.
“This will be an adventurous ride giving you an historical overview of African music. From hologram images, concert footage, a state of the art recording facility, to robotic figures displaying the rhythmic beats from 300 years ago where music began leading up to the biggest African group in the world, The Jackson Five,” notes a pamphlet from the investment group behind the plan, called The Motherland Group (TMG).
Visitors were also expected to be able to pay their respects at the site of a mass grave for those who died before boarding ships across the Atlantic Ocean – then travel a few kilometres in a boat to play a round of golf. They could also visit a replica slave ship to see the conditions Africans suffered, before visiting the world’s only museum dedicated to the career of the Jackson 5. The idea to build the museum on the sacred site came to him during his trip to Nigeria, Marlon Jackson said.
“The Jackson Family had been looking for a place to site their memorabilia collection for some time,” said Gary Loster, a former Mayor of Saginaw, Michigan, and chief executive of The Motherland Group. “We visited the site of the slave port in Badagry and Marlon turned to me and said: ‘Let’s put it here, this is right.’ It’s such an emotional place, and I think we all felt that it was the right place to have the Jackson family memorial.”
Art exhibition on a ‘dumpsite’
But that noble idea was later discarded when it came under heavy criticisms from Nigerian stakeholders. “This plan is morally reprehensible, it’s like dancing on the graves of dead people and telling them you’re honouring them,” C. Don Adinuba, a writer, author, PR consultant, and current Anambra Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, complained in an interview with BBC.
But when our reporters visited the ancient town last Christmas, they found out nothing much had been done by either the state or federal governments since 2009 to cash into the tourist vision seen by the Jacksons. In fact, out of the lot, they found out that today, 13 years down the line, it is only the Point of No Return that is available for enthusiastic tourists to view or visit; others are either viewed from afar or put on restriction. As for the Badagry museum, it was permanently closed though the outer view showed that it was recently repainted. Consolation for visitors, however, came in form of a maiden exhibition organised by a group of artists who seized the opportunity to privately showcase the arts and history of the ancient town.
The art exhibition was held by Olaide Osoba on what was originally a dumpsite. Highlander 02, the bar in which it was held, bears testimony to man’s ingenuity at turning challenges into an opportunity. Among participants were some of the arts geniuses that used various art mediums to create memorable pieces of art. According to Osoba, Badagry being underdeveloped was the main reason they were there. “When I came here I brought tourism to Badagry about 15 or 17 years ago,” he told Saturday Sun. “This particular bar was formerly a dumpsite but I transformed it into a bar. Aside from the history, the town is an ecotourism town with a natural endowment. It is the only place where the lagoon meets the Atlantic Ocean. The bar is a window to Badagry.”
One of those talented artists is Francis Agemo, an indigene of Badagry. He started drawing in his primary schooldays, he said. His popular artwork was: “Two Heads Are Better Than One,” a portrait that tells a tale of his fear of getting married. Agemo was afraid to have a companion but after facing his fears he realised that having a partner is better than being single.
“It is my way of telling singles what they are missing,” he stated, before noting that artists should not wait on the government to promote the art and history of Badagry. “The art should not only be promoted by the government because the government would only be after its pocket and not the development of art and artist in the town.”
Another creative artist is Israel Padonu. A young man who specialises in contemporary art, he uses mixed media to depict extensive features of art. His outstanding artwork was ‘Oju Atura Ri’.
“I created the artwork during the 2020 pandemic as a message to all friends and fans who complained about the lockdown. It was a message of hope to them that after the lockdown, we would meet again and be normal. It was for those who suffered mental adjustment during the period,” he stated. The alleged inattention being paid by the government to art, he explained, is owing to the fact that “the artist and government are having personal projects instead of having a united front to push the art and tourism in the town. The ball is in the government’s court.”
Other artists who were non-indigenes but who featured in the maiden exhibition includes Muyiwa Akinwole, from Ondo State. Badagry’s tranquil environment served as his muse, he said. “I was living in mainland Lagos. But I needed to get to somewhere quiet to create my piece and a friend pointed me to Badagry.” He exhibited a colourful and history-rich drawing of ‘Igunuko’, a masquerade that rises up to 3.05 m and reduces to zero in a matter of seconds. “I researched to know the technology behind the masquerade,” he said. “I found out that the masquerade originated from Nupe in Niger State but was made popular in Lagos Island.” For Akinwole, the Lagos government’s neglect of the road leading to the town is a big disadvantage.
One of the big masquerades at the exhibition is Gadaffi Mustapha from Kaduna State. An art instructor with Badagry Skill Acquisition Centre, he believes that Badagry has more to offer the country. “I see the sea and lagoon as an opportunity mostly for the indigenes but they are just sitting down doing nothing. I came to this town to sell the painting but got the attention of the school and then got employed,” he stated. As Mustapha noted, the town has more to offer including its beaches. There are five.
Emmanuel Essien, another artist exhibitor, agreed with Mustapha on the issue of beaches. “Badagry as a tourist destination is second to none in Africa, particularly for the fact that it plays a big and prominent role in black history,” he said. “Some of the beaches have attracted the attention of people. We have Suntan beach, which was developed by the government. Big events happen there a lot and even when Fela was alive, he held a gig there; the whole place was filled with people from all over Lagos. The second beach is called Aracarb, which was developed in such a way that you can decide to rent accommodation for a few days. Events are also hosted there. The other beach that everyone likes to visit is the Point of No Return, which is a choice for people who come from the diaspora to trace the footpath of those that were taken into slavery. The Point of No Return is a creditable place where you can take anyone. A lot of prominent people had treaded that path, people like Wole Soyinka and the late MKO Abiola.”
Point of No Return
On the day the reporters visited, the Point of No Return beach was the talk of the town as people from various places travelled right down to Badagry to enjoy the cool scenery of the beach, to party, and to meet new people. The journey to the point began from the Pathfinder lagoon, with people rushing en masse to take their turns on the ferry ride that takes them to Gberefu Island. As affordable as the ride was, it was quite a risk, as there were no life jackets provided for the passengers. On getting to the island, tourists were required to pay a sum of N100 to gain access to explore the history of the slaves. Grouped in pairs, tourists had to walk a long distance to get to the beach or take a bike. This costs N500.
Mr Sunday Regba, a Badagry resident, who was there to meet new people, revealed being there the previous day to attend a party. He explained some highlights of the town’s history. “Badagry is a very fun place. I know quite a few about the history of slaves. Yesterday was very fun as the beach was jam-packed with people attending a party here. The only bad thing about this place is the fact that there is no hotel for people to lodge in, in case they don’t want to go home that same day. I think the government should grab the opportunity now because this place is considered the biggest tourist destination in Africa seeing that it tells our black story. There are a lot of people here today also looking to have fun and I’m here to make new friends.”
Miss Leigh Omolola, a tourist, was amazed at how many people were present on the beach: “I came from Ikorodu to enjoy black history,” she said. “I want to see the museum, Point of No Return, Nigeria’s first storey building and some other places. “The last time I was in Badagry was when I was in secondary school and that’s about 15 years ago. I love this place and I learned a lot today. I also made two new friends.”
Miss Eleora Inyene, caught taking pictures with her friends on the beach, said: “I am not familiar with the Badagry story, but I am impressed with what I am seeing. I’ve seen a lot of spots and I’ve taken note of them. The next time I come here, I’m sure to leave home early to explore more places in Badagry.”