Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has praised the Badagry Door of Return Festival as the “historic beginning of a stupendous event” that reconnects Africa with its diaspora across the world.
Speaking at the fifth edition of the cultural and historical festival, organized by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in partnership with the three Badagry local governments, the Lagos State Government, and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Soyinka emphasized the symbolic importance of the event which reverses the tragic narrative of slavery by celebrating the return of descendants of those taken from African shores centuries ago.
“No voyage is complete without the other,” the renowned playwright declared. “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 Chairman of NIDCOM, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described the event as a historic, emotional, spiritual, and economic connection to the motherland and thanked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his continued support.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his Special Advisers on Tourism and Environment, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to promoting tourism and culture.
There were goodwill messages from various ambassadors including the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Miriam Morales Palmero, who emphasized the shared African heritage of Cubans and the enduring legacy of Black identity in Cuba.
Lagos State House of Assembly member Hon. Solomon Bonu called the event “a heritage bridge between Africa and her children abroad,” pledging legislative support for preserving the state’s cultural identity.
Local government leaders and international participants, including Jeffrey Daniels of Shalamar, Dr. David Anderson, and Brazilian Consul-General Celso França, shared powerful testimonies of connection, healing, and homecoming.
The festival had in attendance, 57 participants from the African diaspora including participants from Brazil, the United States, United Kingdom, Cuba, Haiti, and Benin Republic.
The festival is expected to serve as a prelude to the Heritage Voyage of Return, a historic journey set to begin in Brazil in 2026 and conclude in Badagry.
