Destination of The Week: Badagary

Badagry (customarily known as Gbagle), a coastal town situated between the city of Lagos and the border with Benin at Seme in Lagos State, Nigeria, is without doubt one the most serene and historically rich towns in the region; every year

thousands of tourists come from around the country and world to admire the relics and mementoes of  slave trade in Nigeria .Bordered on the south by the Gulf of Guinea and surrounded by creeks, islands and a lake; it is the second largest commercial town in Lagos State.

A town of secrets, Badagry is majorly recognized for its slave trade by foreigners. A trip to the town can be eternally confusing for first-time visitors due to the incalculable immensity of its historical treasures, as well as for the charm of its unique traditions, and the beauty of its panoramic views. Among the most significant resources: plenty of museums -(Badagry Heritage Museum, Seriki Faremi’s Brazilian Baracoon, Vlekete Slave Market, Mobee Royal Family Slave Museum etc.), historical buildings and landmarks along slave routes as well as the slave ports.

If you can plan to stay as long as a week, you won’t run out of things to do and you’ll still feel like you’re leaving too soon.

Three famous spots

The first story building in Nigeria

An old missionary storey building in Badagry, overlooking the Marina waterfront, “the first story building in Nigeria” was built in 1842 by Rev Bernard Freeman and other missionaries.

Agiya Tree Monument

Located beside the Badagry , the  Agiya Tree Monument marks the site where Christianity was first preached in the town and Nigeria.

Attenuation Well

Located along the footpath leading to the ocean, the Attenuation Well, was a spot where slaves were made to stop and drink as the well had a spell that hallucinated whoever drank from it, ensuring the slaves forget their origin and whatever resentments they harbored against the slave masters. That way, they do not revolt against and attack the few slave merchants on the ship while on transit to South America.

FUN FACT

Christianity was first preached in Nigeria at Badagry in 1842 by Rev Bernard Freeman and he celebrated the first Christmas in Nigeria the following year, 1943.