Badagry Diaspora Festival Kicks Off With Symposium

The International symposium on the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint l’ouverture that commemorates the International Day for Remembrance of Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and its Abolition holds today at Badagry Diaspora Festival 2015. The festival, which is being organised by Africa Renaissance Foundation (AREFO), started yesterday, Friday, andwill run till August 30. Theme of this year’s festival is ‘Toussaint L’ouverture: The Catalyst for the Global Struggle for Liberation of the Black Race.’

Papers will be presented by Jacques Nicolas, from Haiti, Mere Jah, Mallam Yussuf Abdullah Usman on topics ranging from ‘Diaspora: The Cradle of African Renaissance,’ ‘Women’s Contributions in Haitian Revolution’ to ‘Slave Trade Monuments in Nigeria as Tourism Products.’ Other topics to be discused include ‘Slave Trade and African Diaspora: Historical Analysis’ by Dr. Yakub Moses, ‘African Political Leadership and Development: The Diaspora Connection’ by Dr. Abisoye Olatunde and ‘A Neo-Louverturian Approach to the Fulfillment of the First Commandment’ by Femi Koshoni from Republic of Benin.

The National commission for Museums and Monuments also have activity and will be held at Badagry Town Hall.

Other participants include Prof. Olusola Ojo, Chairman of Occasion and Moderator, Dean of Humanities, Macpherson University, Ogun State. Prof. Alaba Simpson, Convener, Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State. Henry Hunjo Ph.D, Coordinator, Department of English, Lagos State University, Ojo and Nichalson Hiatian, a Musician and Performer from Haiti.