BADAGRY: A NIGERIAN TOWN FOUNDED BY AN EUROPEAN TRADER
By Emeka Esogbue
Although Badagry, traditionally known as 'Gbagle' by indigenes is today seen as a Yoruba settlement, it was never a Yoruba city ancestrally. The city of Badagry is well-known and stands out as one of the nation's richest colonial history but little is known by many regarding its origin.
By Emeka Esogbue
Although Badagry, traditionally known as 'Gbagle' by indigenes is today seen as a Yoruba settlement, it was never a Yoruba city ancestrally. The city of Badagry is well-known and stands out as one of the nation's richest colonial history but little is known by many regarding its origin.
Badagry is a Local
Government Area in Southwest, Nigeria which geographically lies between
Lagos and Benin Republic. It also sits on 32 miles West of Seme and on
the West of the Bank of the Lagos Lagoon thus extremely rich in aquatic
creatures.
Like many tiny Nigerian settlements and people ethnically claimed by larger ethnic groups in the country on the basis of linguistic affinity or geographical proximity to the detriment of ancestry or bloodline, Badagry also falls prey to this. Indeed, the people are not of Yoruba origins because they neither owe their ancestry to Nigeria or present Benin Republic. Badagry does not trace its origin to Oduduwa Dynasty but stands extremely unique.
Badagry was founded by an European whose name Badagry locals have in their traditional history retained as Yovo Huntokonu. However, recent available sources and deeper investigations from historical researchers of this area have thoroughly identified the said progenitor of the settlement as Hendrick Hertogh, a Dutch trader who was fleeing from the wrath of African chiefs (see Bolarinwa & Okeawo (2017).
In 1736, he arrived a place called Apa and offered a farmland from Alapa (Oba) See Sorense-Gilmour (1995).
Hendrick consequently settled on the land. This was quickly followed with influx of migrants eastwards who were willing to trade with the people which led to the growth of the town.
Early settlers of this town bore names that were unique but more of these people bore names that resembled that of the progenitor such as 'Hodonou' and 'Suenu'. These names have been retained till date as they can still be heard.
However, due to its coastal geographical nature, Badagry was a major port of slavery during the era of Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. It was from this point that many unfortunate Africans from West Africa and Central Africa found themselves in Europe and Americas, in the journey of the unknown.
Although it has been claimed by western scholars of Nigerian extraction that Christianity was first preached here in Badagry, there are deeper evidences that suggest that before Badagry, there were Aboh in present Delta State and Benin of the Edos. In fact, some Obas of Benin were historically known to have been converted after Christianity was preached to them and they accepted the new religion. In spite of this, Badagry presents an interesting centre of learning on the activities of early Christians in Nigeria.
When you hear of Badagry know it was originally a settlement of an European.
Like many tiny Nigerian settlements and people ethnically claimed by larger ethnic groups in the country on the basis of linguistic affinity or geographical proximity to the detriment of ancestry or bloodline, Badagry also falls prey to this. Indeed, the people are not of Yoruba origins because they neither owe their ancestry to Nigeria or present Benin Republic. Badagry does not trace its origin to Oduduwa Dynasty but stands extremely unique.
Badagry was founded by an European whose name Badagry locals have in their traditional history retained as Yovo Huntokonu. However, recent available sources and deeper investigations from historical researchers of this area have thoroughly identified the said progenitor of the settlement as Hendrick Hertogh, a Dutch trader who was fleeing from the wrath of African chiefs (see Bolarinwa & Okeawo (2017).
In 1736, he arrived a place called Apa and offered a farmland from Alapa (Oba) See Sorense-Gilmour (1995).
Hendrick consequently settled on the land. This was quickly followed with influx of migrants eastwards who were willing to trade with the people which led to the growth of the town.
Early settlers of this town bore names that were unique but more of these people bore names that resembled that of the progenitor such as 'Hodonou' and 'Suenu'. These names have been retained till date as they can still be heard.
However, due to its coastal geographical nature, Badagry was a major port of slavery during the era of Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. It was from this point that many unfortunate Africans from West Africa and Central Africa found themselves in Europe and Americas, in the journey of the unknown.
Although it has been claimed by western scholars of Nigerian extraction that Christianity was first preached here in Badagry, there are deeper evidences that suggest that before Badagry, there were Aboh in present Delta State and Benin of the Edos. In fact, some Obas of Benin were historically known to have been converted after Christianity was preached to them and they accepted the new religion. In spite of this, Badagry presents an interesting centre of learning on the activities of early Christians in Nigeria.
When you hear of Badagry know it was originally a settlement of an European.
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