Travelogue: Echoes from Eko ~ Habeeb Adam
A VISIT TO THE BADAGRY SLAVE
MUSEUM
BY HABEEB ADAM
Only a few feelings can rival
the joy of having your Special One by your side as you go on a cruise into the
past, teleporting from one century to the other. In our own case, it wasn’t a
joyous journey entirely. It was rather a mixed feeling of exoticness, intense
pity and rage to varying degrees.
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Rejoicing with the freed slaves |
Having registered at the
reception, we were assigned with a guide who took us through the different
sections containing dozens of artifacts and relics of the slave trade era. The
guide started by explaining the Triangular Trade which involved the movement of
goods from Europe to Africa, where these goods (umbrellas, gin, cannon, gun
powder, mirrors, etc) were traded for slaves. I was beyond shocked to learn
that an umbrella went for 40 able men then! These slaves were then shipped from
Africa (in the most inhuman condition) to the Americas wherein some were
castrated and domesticated while others were gagged and made to work on the
sugar plantations. The final leg of the Triangular Trade involved the shipping
of sugar from the plantations to Europe.
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Free at last |
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The large bowl from which slaves slurped water like animals |
The six-bedroom, one storey
building whose foundation was laid by the Reverend Henry Townsend of the Church
Missionary Society (CMS) in 1842 and completed 3 years later served as the
Mission House as well as the first primary school in Nigeria (Nursery of Infant
Church). It housed the renowned Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther who translated the
Bible into Yoruba and who, as we were told by the guide, spoke more than a
dozen languages! We had the privilege of seeing both Bibles – the first Yoruba
Bible and the first English Bible in Nigeria. The building also housed the
first teacher in Nigeria, Mr. Claudius Philips, who was said to have tutored
the first 40 primary school students, the youngest of whom was 45 years old at
the time of admission and all of whom spent 12 years before they graduated from
the school and became church interpreters!
One cannot help but marvel at
the durability of the materials used in building the house. Virtually all of
these, we were told, were imported from England. Stored in a show glass were
the original hinges and nails arranged close to what we have today for comparison.
The originals are by far thicker and heavier. The original roofing sheet, for
instance, was by my own estimates, 15 times heavier than the one available now.
I doubt if it can be nailed with the nails available at the market. A sample of
the original baked bricks was also available for comparison with what is
obtainable today. And, like 7Up, the difference was clear. We also saw a safe
said to be installed in the house in 1856 which is still in good shape.
A few steps away from the
building is a well also dug in 1842. The well, which still serves as a source
of water to the neighbouring buildings, was said to have being the major source
of water to the community at that time because its water is cleaner and less
salty when compared to others. This could be as a result of the fact that it
was situated farther away from the lagoon.
As we climbed down from the
amazingly strong, original, wooden staircase of the “first” storey building, we
headed to the Mobee Royal Family Slave Relics Museum which is equally a
trekkable distance from the building. This museum, named after the influential
slave merchant, Chief Mobee, who was said to have seized the original chains
from some white slave traders after the abolition of the trade, houses similar
artifacts as those in the Badagry Slave Museum.
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Crossing the river to the "Point of no return" |
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Leaning on a sign indicating the position of the magical well |
These questions, and more, I
hope to find an answer for someday.
*********
Habeeb Adamu is a young Accountant based in Lagos. he sees himself as someone who enjoys breaking barriers, seizing every opportunity to learn and improve. he aspires to be a writer someday.
His love for bikes can only be matched by his love for books. He tweets @HabeebAdamu1.
*********
Habeeb Adamu is a young Accountant based in Lagos. he sees himself as someone who enjoys breaking barriers, seizing every opportunity to learn and improve. he aspires to be a writer someday.
His love for bikes can only be matched by his love for books. He tweets @HabeebAdamu1.
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