By Nkechi Eze
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described the Badagry Door of Return Festival as an historic beginning of a stupendous event that will reconnect Africa and its Diaspora in a grand celebration of shared heritage and humanity.
Speaking as Special Guest of Honour at the fifth edition of the Badagry Door of Return Festival in Lagos, Soyinka lauded the organisers for sustaining what he termed “a formal beginning of a stupendous event that would bring not just the thousands we see here but millions.”
According to an official statement by the Director of Media and Public Relations at the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the renowned playwright commended Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NIDCOM, for her vision and collaboration with stakeholders including the three Badagry local government chairmen and the Lagos State House of Assembly member representing Badagry, Hon. Solomon Bonu, in hosting the festival.
Soyinka, who highlighted the deep emotional significance of the annual cultural convergence, noted that the fifth edition would serve as a precursor to the forthcoming “Heritage Voyage of Return,” scheduled to commence in Brazil next year and end in Badagry, Lagos.
He stressed the spiritual and symbolic importance of the festival, stating, “No voyage is complete without the other. What we are celebrating is a formal beginning of a stupendous event that would bring not just the thousands we see here but millions.”
The Nobel Laureate further remarked that Africans in the Diaspora are eager and emotionally driven to reconnect with their roots, adding that “the sadness that encompassed the Point of No Return will turn to joy.”
Welcoming participants from Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Haiti, and Benin Republic, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa described the ceremony as “a historic, emotional, spiritual and economic reconnection to the motherland.”
She noted that unlike their ancestors who were forcefully taken away as slaves through the “Point of No Return,” the 57 returnees were received “as kings and queens through the Door of Return.”
Dabiri-Erewa expressed profound appreciation to Professor Soyinka for gracing the event, describing him as “a legend and an inspiration to all.” She also commended Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for constructing the permanent Door of Return monument in Badagry, which she said would remain a lasting legacy in tourism development.
Representing the Lagos State Governor, the Special Adviser on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe, and the Special Adviser on Environment commended NIDCOM for using the festival as a platform to attract the historic African Diaspora home to Lagos.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, through his representatives, assured that the State Government would continue to support cultural tourism and ensure the completion of the permanent site of the Door of Return before the next edition.
Also speaking at the event, the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Miriam Morales Palmero, described the festival as a profound reminder of the shared history between Cuba and Africa. Quoting Cuban historian Fernando Ortiz (1939), she said, “Cuba without the blacks, will not be Cuba,” emphasizing the monumental contributions of Africans to the Cuban identity.
Palmero noted that the Badagry Door of Return serves as a motivation for cultural fraternity between Cuba and Nigeria, united by common ancestry and resilience.
Similarly, Hon. Solomon Bonu, Chairman, House Committee on Tourism, Lagos State House of Assembly, hailed the festival as “a heritage bridge between Africa and her children abroad,” and assured of legislative backing for initiatives that promote tourism, culture, and the preservation of Lagos’ historical identity.
Speaking on behalf of the three Badagry local government chairmen, Hon. Ibrahim Rauf Kayode, Hon. Ajose Peter Kumayon, and himself Hon. Babatunde Hunpe expressed gratitude to Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa for initiating a programme that continues to put Badagry on the world map.
Hunpe also commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for his support, describing him as “Mr. Sellable,” and thanked Prof. Wole Soyinka for his consistent love for the people of Badagry and the African diaspora.
Among participants at the event were Jeffrey Daniels of the legendary music group Shalamar, Dr. David Anderson, author of Gracism, and the Consul-General of Brazil to Nigeria, Celso França. They each shared their moving experiences, describing the ceremony as an emotional and joyous homecoming to their ancestral roots.
The Badagry Door of Return Festival, now in its fifth edition, continues to serve as a symbolic reversal of the transatlantic slave route, transforming the painful memory of departure into a joyful celebration of return, unity, and hope for the African family worldwide.
