By: Manoah Kikekon
BADAGRY, Lagos State – The 2025 Badagry Diaspora Festival is set to welcome the global African family from October 16th to 18th. The announcement, made by The Africa Renaissance Foundation in collaboration with the African Door of Return Experience and the Badagry Local Government, promises a poignant three-day event dedicated to honouring the past and forging a united future.
The festival, operating under the resonant theme “Honouring the Past, Uniting the Future,” is designed as a bridge across the Atlantic. It aims to provide a sacred space for Africans from the continent and the diaspora to reconnect with their ancestral roots.
The program is packed with a vibrant tapestry of activities, including rich cultural displays, thunderous drumming sessions, traditional dances, thought-provoking lectures, and solemn tributes, all intended to celebrate the unbreakable spirit of African heritage.
This year’s edition carries a particularly profound significance as it is dedicated to the memory of a towering figure in the Pan-African movement, Mere Jah. A fervent advocate of the Back to Africa movement, Mere Jah’s life’s work was dedicated to the reconnection and liberation of African people worldwide. The festival will serve as a living tribute to his vision, ensuring his legacy continues to inspire the journey of homecoming and cultural revival.
Beyond the celebration, the festival serves a deeper purpose: to commemorate the painful yet resilient history of the African liberation struggle. Organizers emphasize that the event is a crucial platform to strengthen the bonds of unity between Africans on the continent and their brothers and sisters in the diaspora. By confronting the past at one of its most significant historical locations, the festival seeks to transform a symbol of trauma into a beacon of reconciliation and collective strength.
The 2025 festival is a robust community-wide effort, powered by all the local council areas within Badagry and brought to life in partnership with the SMA Foundation. This unified local support underscores Badagry's commitment to its role as a custodian of history and a host for healing. The collaboration ensures that the event will be deeply rooted in the authentic culture and hospitality of the Badagry people.
All activities will be centered in the historic coastal town of Badagry, a location forever etched in global memory as the "Point of No Return" for millions of enslaved Africans. Now, through initiatives like the African Door of Return Experience, the city is reclaiming its narrative, transforming from a symbol of departure into a powerful destination for return, reconnection, and renaissance for the global African diaspora.