Words can not explain the shock and distraught I felt whilst learning about Nigeria’s slave history in Badagry. Nigeria was known as the Slave Coast and probably contributed to most of the slave exchange that happened in the world. !!! Why did it take me so long to learn this about my country’s history?! Terrible.
I sorely need to know more, learn more, see more, experience more of my country. It is one thing to hear a fleeting story about my ancestors part in it, but it is another to see and feel what many lives were traded for. A world where 40 human lives were exchanged for an umbrella or ridiculous trinkets. The horror. Getting to see and feel the tools used to enslave our people was quite jarring and made me question the level inhumanity and greed in the people that took part in the barbaric acts.
Life is certainly different now in Nigeria, but this history will most likely continue to affect the lives of many for centuries to come. The exchange of human life for trinkets most likely diminished the value of the African life in the view of many. Sad. Actions and greed from a different century pretty much wrote the current and many still fail to understand that our lives should have equal value.
I can not think of any more words to add to this, but while learning about our history in Badagry, we tried to keep our emotions light and not dwell too much on the past. Our past is a heavy one, and the more I learn, the heavier it feels.
For those like me who are ignorant about Nigeria’s history in slavery, see the video below. It is a brief summary on a half day’s worth of historical lessons.
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This is moreso a travel and experience focused platform with bits of education and learning along the way, if you are interested in getting more information, there are some videos on Youtube that help shed more light on it, or simply head to Badagry in Lagos, Nigeria for some lessons in history.
36 Comments
Oh Gosh. that’s a bit eye-opening. It must be tough to learn such things about your country. Thanks for the video as well.
Yeah, it was tough to learn those. Glad you liked the video too 🙂
Wow every interesting, I have a very good friend form Nigera and she schooled me on a lot about the country. Your post is very educational and eye opening! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Many thanks Stacey! Good to know that a Nigerian knows her history, it is terrible that the schools do little to educate us on what we need to know that it requires searching for answers else where.
We always wanted to visit Nigeria, we think it is a place that needs to be visited! Your video is great such as the photos, thanks 🙂 Your favorite thing there?
Many thanks! Favorite experience here was the Badagry Heritage Museum, despite how sketchy it was, the amount history to learn was amazing.
It’s great to read such posts that raise awareness of the terrible past of a destination. A lot of people don’t know about nigeria’s history in slavery, I guess. Thanks for sharing and giving me more information about your country with your post!
Hahaha, this ignorant Nigerian didn’t know her country’s history *hides face*. Many thanks!
Great video! I have never been to Nigeria. This is very interesting and a subject we not often think about. Really eye-opening.
Interesting here in Aruba we have a really known artist called Claudius Philips and I saw it in your video. Our own home has a lot to offer, I always say that sometimes you don’t need a flight ticket to discover new things, our own home can have many new things to offer.
Fantastic post to read about the history. Not too sure of all the details on what happened back then but it be great to visit these places and read up. Thanks for sharing
I’ve seen places related to the slave trade in Ghana, but not in Nigeria. I suppose all along the coast there are connections to that period.
As sad as a country´s history may be, it is definitely important to make learning a bit about it part of a trip! Great Read.
Thank you for creating awareness on this. Didn’t know about this.
Since I started to travel, my love for history heightens too. It is interesting how we get more excited of it once we already visited the place. Truly, learning happens more effectively when it is applied. I knew how the blacks were treated before. I am sorry for all the pains of the past. It was the same in our own country. We were once considered as slaves on our own land.
A very informative post about the history of Nigeria. The actions of the past do effect us but being stronger and letting it not pile on us defines the human strength.
Better late than never! When I become really interested in a place or moment in time, I read biographies by the people that experienced it to put myself in their shoes. Sometimes it’s even better to read about it before you get there so it makes more sense and you can appreciate it more. Keep learning and sharing your learnings with others!
I will start doing that, good tip. I tend to go to places with my eyes blind and then learn as I travel
Knowing about the history of a place that you travel to, certainly helps to put things into perspective. Some of the facts we learn amaze, others sadden us…but each one enriches us so much more.
I fully agree with you
History wasn’t my favorite subject in school but as I started traveling my interest increased. It’s really sad to see such sites where people are castrated solely for begging forgiveness. Awesome video!
That is a sad part of Nigeria’s history. Things can only get better from here on.
Very informative video.
Such sad and incomprehensible actions- very informative article.
Such a sad history- very informative article.
I’ve lived in Nigeria when I was a child and never made it to Badagry but wish I had. I think learning and powering ourselves of history is so important. Thanks for sharing.
Oh wow, where are you from originally? Thanks for the read
Oh my God! Knowing this things makes you appericiate the value of the human life! We cannot fully understand the horror that these people experienced during this dark part of the history…
So many countries, including my own, should be incredibly ashamed at the slave trade. It’s a very sad part of our history and one that, hopefully, will never be repeated.
Thank you so much for sharing. Your photos are incredibly moving. I teach American history in the U.S., and I spend time each semester discussing the atrocities of the Atlantic slave trade. It is horrific.
This is an important post to share, and I appreciate your honesty and candid approach to this. More people need to know about how horrid this truly was.
First of all thanks for sharing this post. Like you, i too like to dig deeper. I am so glad you talked about an important topic like slavery. Any book you recommend on the same?
It takes courage to write about the places that move us. Thanks so much to show the world and educate people like me who knew nothing about this. Extremely touching post!
Thank you!
This is a real eye opener! I find it important to write about the bad things in the world as well, because after all that is also a part of exploring and discovering different countries. sad but interesting story
That would be quite the experience to go to the first hand sights of the slave trade like Badagry. It’s a painful topic but something that everyone should learn about in order to understand the present day. It’s hard to believe 40 people would be traded for an umbrella.
Seriously! I find that pill a very hard one to swallow. It was even more sad to see one of the umbrellas traded during that period.