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Sanwo-Olu inaugurates Slave Market Museum International in Badagry

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday inaugurated the Slave Market Museum International in Badagry, Lagos.

The one-storey building museum situated on Vlekete Road comprises six galleries which are the Middle Passage gallery, Badagry gallery, Travails gallery, Enslavement gallery, Slave Dealers gallery, and Liberation gallery.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Sherifat Folashade Jaji, Sanwo-Olu said the museum was an important part of the Slave Route Project initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1994 at the International Conference on Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in Whydah, Republic of Benin.

He said that UNESCO enjoined member nations whose countries were affected by this trade to develop projects along the slave route at the conference.

The galleries showcase slave relics and information related to slavery including the Slave Market replica; Replica of Slave Punishment Centre displaying the manner of treatment and inhuman punishment that humans who were tagged as slaves were subjected to as a result of their disobedience against their owners and the slave masters.

There was also the Replica of Slave tunnel where slaves were temporarily kept after being captured before being shipped to their masters or owners.
“This project was well thought out as part of strategies to actualise the goals and objectives of the second ‘E’ pillar of our T.H.E.M.E.S agenda which stands for Entertainment and Tourism. Our goal is to develop and maximise the economic potential of this sector.” He said.

“The Construction of this International Museum which is part of the State Slave Route Project was therefore initiated and located here in Badagry, being one of the major and most popular routes and places of slave trade. Moreover, the Slave Market Museum will form part of the Badagry Tourism Development Project aimed at fulfilling the set objective for its establishment in Lagos state.

“In addition, the Museum is linked to UNESCO’s agenda of Remembrance of Slave trade, Cultural understanding and integration among the diverse people of the world. I must emphasise that the intention of this project is not to glorify the obnoxious trade but to record the happenings of the past and teach younger generations the historical antecedents of different races and appreciate our collective history and cultural integration,” he said.

The governor also sought the support of UNESCO, the Nigerians Commission for UNESCO (NAT-COM) and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in the areas of Registration, publicity and Worldwide recognition of the Museum.

He commended the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile Yusuf and her team for the successful execution of this project.

Earlier in her welcome address, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharm (Mrs) Usama Akinbile-Yusuf said the subject of slavery was still an emotional one for the state as they “cannot deny the memories which they still hold on to and preserve the lessons learnt to be passed to generations to come.

Noting that the state invested in the refurbishment of the Slave Market Museum at Vlekete to serve as a monumental remembrance of a period in state history, Akinbile-Yusuf said the project was set “to celebrate the resilience and heroic spirits of our brothers and sisters who unfortunately went down along these routes.”

She said: “The Museum is also linked to the Agenda of UNESCO on Remembrance of Slave trade and Cultural understanding and integration among the diverse people of the world. The intention of this project is not to glorify slave trade, but to record the happenings of the past and teach younger generations the historical antecedents of different races and appreciate our collective history and cultural integration.

Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for West-Sahel Africa, OIC UNESCO Regional Office, Abuja Mr Dimitri Sanga said that UNESCO seeks through the ” Slave Route Project’ to break the silence surrounding the slave trade and slavery.

Sanga was represented by Culture Programm Specialist, UNESCO Regional Office, Abuja, Mr Delanghe Philippe.

He said: “the idea of a “route” expresses the dynamics of movement of peoples, civilizations and cultures, while that of “slave” addresses not only the universal phenomenon of slavery but also in a more precise and explicit way the transatlantic slave trade in the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean. Thus, the various histories and heritages resulting from this global tragedy can be better understood.

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