Education and civilization in Nigeria, the first city to easily boast
of the first ever story building in Nigeria, first to be Urbanized and
corridor for Human Livestock. During the obnoxious slave trade, was
founded by a farmer who has his farm on its Peninsular named Agbede.
Agbede's farm was referred to as Agbedegreme, which was later, coined
into Agbadarigi by the Yoruba alien of the south-western part of
Nigeria and later into Badagry by the European slave merchants when
the coast of Badagry was discovered and opened to the New world.
Badagry is a historic town today because of the significant role it
played as a major slave port in Nigeria. The relics and monuments that
exists today bear witness to the events of its colourful history.
THE SLAVE TRADE
In the early 1500's, slaves were transported from West Africa to
America through Badagry. The market used to be opened for business
every 2 days and nothing less than 900 slaves were sold from this very
slave market per week. It is reported that no fewer than 550,000
African slaves were sent to America during the period of the American
Independence in l787. In addition, slaves were transported to Europe,
South America and the Caribbean. The slaves came mainly from West
Africa and the neighboring countries of Benin and Togo as well as
others parts of Nigeria. The slave trade became the major source of
income for the Europeans in Badagry.
Trans- Atlantic slave trade would not have come into existence without
the cooperation and involvement of some Africans who were blindfolded
and used against their folks. Though slavery has been a culture
practiced amongst blacks before the discovery of west African coast by
the Europeans, therefore it wasn't new to them if their fellow black
brothers and sisters were sold from one plantation to another like
cattle in exchange of goods such as gin, wine mirrors, wool and cotton
in exchange for slaves
Slaves were sold in exchange for goods such as mirrors, matches and
gin. Initially this exchange was an appreciation for the goods but
evolved into a systemic form of trade, with set values of exchange
such as:
---Thirty five slaves in exchange for a mirror
---Seven slaves in exchange for matches
---Ten slaves in exchange for tobacco
---Fifteen slaves in exchange for Dry gin
---Forty slaves in exchange for umbrella
---One hundred slaves for a canon gun.etc
The treaty of abolition of slave trade was signed in March 1852
between England and Badagry chiefs to end the black human trafficking
and some cannons of war were donated to them to be placed at the
coastal area to fight other European countries that were still coming
to get slaves. The trade continued illegally and the export of slaves
steadily increased. The Brazilians were the major slaves merchants
slaves were been supplied to this time. However, in 1888 the last ship
left Badagry to Brazil and this marks the end of the trade in
Badadgry, Brazil and around the world.
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