Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has described the Door of Return Ceremony in Badagry, Lagos as an historic beginning of a stupendous event.
Soyinka, who was the special guest of honour, stated this at the fifth Badagry Door of Return Festival in Lagos.
He commended Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and other collaborators, including the three chairmen of Badagry local government and the member representing the Lagos State Assembly, Hon. Solomon Bonu, for putting the event together.
The elder statesman noted that the 5th edition will herald the planned historic Heritage Voyage of Return which will begin in Brazil next year and terminate in Badagry, Lagos. The literary giant stated that “No voyage is complete without the other.
According to him, “what we are celebrating is a formal beginning of a stupendous event that would bring not just the thousands we see here but millions.”
Soyinka noted that the diasporas are willing to come back and that they are eager and obsessed with the notion of coming back.
In a statement released by the Commission, he prayed that the sadness that encompassed the Point of No Return will turn to Joy.
Earlier, the NIDCOM Boss, Dabiri-Erewa, welcomed the 57 participants from Brazil, America, United Kingdom, Cuba, Haiti, and Benin Republic, who were being received as Kings and Queens through the Door of Return as against the ancestors being taken away as slaves through the point of no return.
She thanked Professor Soyinka for gracing the occasion , describing him as a legend and inspiration to all. 
Dabiri-Erewa added that the Badagry Door of Return Festival signifies a historic, emotional, spiritual and economic connection to the motherland.
She commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for building the permanent Door of Return in Badagry which will be a lasting tourism legacy.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by both the Special Adviser on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Idris Aregbe as well as the SA Environment, commended Dabiri-Erewa, for all she has been doing and for using the Badagry Door of Return Festival as a platform to attract the Historic African Diaspora home into Lagos State.
He assured participants that Lagos State will continue to make the state attractive to all and that the permanent site will be completed and opened during the next edition of Badagry Door of Return Festival. The Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Miriam Morales Palmero said the festival serves as a motivation to learn, preserve and defend the history of slavery.
Quoting Cuban historian Fernando Ortiz of 1939, who said “Cuba without the blacks, will not be Cuba”, as contributions of the blacks to the Cuban identity has been monumental.
The Badagry Door of Return, according to her, serves as a motivation for fraternity between the people’s of Cuba and Nigeria with common origins in the first ancestors who were taken away from their fatherland as slaves.
Mr. Bonu Solomon, Chairman, House Committee on Tourism, Lagos State House of Assembly, lauded the festival’s symbolic value, saying it was “a heritage bridge between Africa and her children abroad.”Bonu assured the people of Badagry of legislative backing for initiatives that promote tourism, culture and the preservation of Lagos’ historical identity.
The Chairman of Badagry Local Government, Hon. Babatunde Hunpe , speaking on behalf of other two Chairmen of Badagry, Hon. Ibrahim Rauf Kayode, and Hon. Ajose Peter Kumayon, expressed gratitude to Dabiri-Erewa, for the initiative which he noted would put Badagry in the world map.
Hunpe equally thanked Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whom he described as “Mr Sellable and also expressed gratitude to Professor Wole Soyinka for his love for the people of Badagry and diaspora.
Some of the participants included Jeffrey Daniels of the popular hit band Shalamar, Dr David Anderson, author of “Gracism “and the Consul- General of Brazil to Nigeria, Celso França.
They took turns to share their remarkable experiences at the event which they agreed symbolised their joy of return to the motherland.
