The “Lessons In the Ways of Water Tour to Badagry” is envisioned as an immersive, post-conference experience following the International Conference of Community Psychologists in Lagos (September 1-4, 2026). This initiative draws on the symbolic and historical significance of water as a metaphor for healing, transformation, and radical hospitality. In the context of Badagry, water holds a dual role: as witness to the sufferings of the transatlantic slave trade and as an element of communal healing from its trauma, cleansing, spiritual renewal, and community resilience.

Historical Background

Badagry, situated on the west Atlantic Coast of Lagos, is a town of profound historical significance as one of West Africa’s major slave ports during the transatlantic slave trade. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, historians estimate that hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans passed through Badagry. While precise numbers are difficult to determine due to incomplete colonial records, documented sources indicate that between 500,000 and one million Africans were shipped from the Bight of Benin region, with Badagry serving as a principal point of embarkation. The majority of slaves transported through Badagry originated from the Yoruba, Ewe, and Fon ethnic groups, among others, drawn from present-day southwestern Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. Captives were often forcibly marched from the hinterlands to Badagry, where they were held in barracoons before being loaded onto ships and sent across the Atlantic to destinations in the Americas and the Caribbean. Notable ports of arrival included Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad, and the southern United States, where they were subjected to plantation labor and other forms of exploitation. Historical records, such as the British Parliamentary Papers, the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, and local oral histories, corroborate the scale and reach of the slave trade through Badagry. The town’s cultural landscape is shaped by this heritage as a site of departure and remembrance, with local families and custodians—including the Olokun priests—maintaining traditions that honor the ocean’s spiritual power and its role in healing and community life. The reverence for water continues to be handed down through generations, reflecting water’s enduring centrality in Badagry’s identity.

Objectives of the Learning Tour

The tour aims to facilitate participants’ engagement with the psychological, cultural, and historical dimensions of water, fostering a meeting of selves and souls in a setting deeply marked by both collective trauma and community resilience. More specifically the tour will aim to:

• Deepen participants’ understanding of the symbolic and historical role of water in Badagry’s cultural and communal life.
• Facilitate an understanding of the concept of community healing through reflections on historical trauma and immersive engagements with local traditions at the sites.
• Foster communality among participants and local custodians, encouraging shared learning on transformative experiences specific to Africa.
• Explore the intersections of community psychology, spiritual custodianship, and cultural heritage.
• Train participants for enhanced understanding in their engagements with respective African communities in diaspora.

المجالات المواضيعية للتعلم

Several main themes are perceivable in Badagry, woven through its landscape, history, and cultural life. Central among these is the enduring legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, with Badagry serving as a powerful site of memory, trauma, and testimony. The town is also shaped by the symbolism of water, representing both suffering and the potential for healing and spiritual renewal. Community resilience emerges as another key theme, manifest in the traditions maintained by local custodians and families who honor water’s spiritual significance and facilitate communal healing. These themes interact to foster a space for reflection, transformation, and communal learning, making Badagry a profound environment for self-discovery and dialogue on historical and contemporary African experiences. The tour will therefore focus on the specific themes of:

• Historical Trauma and Healing: The legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and processes of cleansing and renewal.
• Water as Metaphor: Shapeshifting, holding space, and creating radical hospitality in times of transition and demise.
• Community Resilience and Spiritual Custodianship: The role of local custodians, such as Olokun priests, in guiding communal rituals and healing.
• Self-Discovery and Introspection: Experiencing Badagry as a soul-scape, an opportunity to foster introspective self-discovery, psychosocial evaluation and emotional rebirth, offering participants the chance to encounter and heal previously unknown traumas within themselves, humanity and the community at large.

نهج تقديم التعلم

Guided tours led by local custodians and historians, will offer contextual narratives and personal insights. Participants will engage directly with the unique landscape and history of Badagry, walking the paths of memory from slave ports to healing waters. The tour will highlight the role of custodians in maintaining traditions of reverence for the ocean, showcasing how local practices of hospitality and spiritual guidance are woven into the fabric of community life. This immersive approach encourages visitors to witness and participate in processes of communal healing, not as outsiders but as welcomed guests. The approach will include:

• Storytelling sessions and participatory reflection, inviting dialogue between participants and local community members.
• Exhibitions of Rituals and ceremonies at water sites, facilitated by spiritual custodians to foster collective healing.
• Interactive workshops focused on historical, cultural, and psychological themes relevant to Badagry’s experience.

Specific Site Visit Locations

• Mobee Family Museum: Private museum preserving oral histories and artifacts. The Museum is situated within the ancestral home of one of Badagry’s foremost families, whose lineage is deeply intertwined with the town’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. The museum documents the experiences of the Mobee family, who historically acted as intermediaries during the era of slavery, and through its exhibits and family stories, the museum offers visitors a unique perspective on Badagry’s complex past, fostering understanding of the local impact of slavery and the ongoing processes of remembrance, dialogue, and healing within the community.
• Vlekete Slave Market and Shrine: Local shrine and market with spiritual significance. Historically, it served not only as a market where enslaved Africans were traded but also as a sacred space for rituals and offerings. Local custodians and spiritual leaders, such as priests, performed ceremonies at the shrine to seek protection, offer blessings, and communicate with ancestral spirits. These rituals were believed to provide spiritual cleansing and guidance for both the captives and the community, intertwining the painful history of the slave trade with enduring traditions of healing and remembrance. Today, the site stands as a powerful symbol of resilience, honoring the memory of those who passed through and serving as a place for reflection, communal healing, and spiritual connection.
• Badagry Slave Museum: An important historical site, preserving the memories and artifacts related to the transatlantic slave trade. Through its exhibits and collections, the museum offers visitors a powerful insight into the experiences of enslaved people and the legacy of slavery in Badagry, featuring oral histories, documents, and testimonies that foster reflection and dialogue on this profound chapter of African and world history.
• Point of No Return: A guided walk along the slave route immersing participants in the historical journey of enslaved Africans, guiding them through powerful exhibits and significant landmarks, retracing the steps once taken by those forced into slavery, culminating at the symbolic Point of No Return. This journey invites deep reflection, emotional connection, and a sense of communal healing, honoring the memories of the past while fostering dialogue and introspection among all who take part.
• Gberefu Beach & Olokun Shrine: These two sites are intrinsically linked as centers of spiritual custodianship and water rituals in Badagry. Both locations serve as sites for ritual cleansing and deep ocean reverence, reflecting the community’s enduring connection to water as a source of healing, spiritual renewal, and ancestral communication. The physical distance between Gberefu Beach and the Olokun Shrine is approximately 1 kilometer (about a 10–15 minute walk), allowing participants to journey between these sacred sites through a landscape rich in history and symbolism. The beach offers a natural setting for ceremonies, while the Olokun Shrine, dedicated to the deity of the ocean, anchors these practices in tradition and belief. Experiences at these sites invite participants to engage in collective rituals, fostering emotional rebirth, introspection, and communal healing by honoring the power of water and its spiritual guardians.

Postconference Logistics

ترتيبات النقل

Executive Chartered Buses will be arranged for safe group travel between Lagos and Badagry, as well as for all local site transfers. Buses will be equipped with Comfortable Seating, Air Conditioning, GPS tracking and emergency communication systems. Drivers will be vetted and briefed on safety protocols for the duration of the tour. In addition, arrangements will be made for refreshments and restroom breaks, in transit.

الترتيبات الأمنية

سيتم نشر أفراد أمن مجهزين بالكامل ومسلحين ومرخصين من إدارة أمن الدولة (DSS) إلى جانب مرافقي شرطة ولاية لاغوس للتنقل مع الجولة. سيكون هؤلاء حاضرين في جميع تحركات المجموعة وأنشطتها. وسيقومون بإجراء عمليات فرز منتظمة للأفراد ومراقبة نقاط الدخول/الخروج في كل موقع. وسيتألف الفريق الأمني من 4 ضباط من إدارة أمن الدولة، و12 مرافقة متنقلة من الشرطة، و3 مركبات مرافقة أمنية ومركبة طوارئ واحدة لجميع وسائل النقل. وسيكون الفريق الأمني مسؤولاً أيضاً عن:

• Local Authority Coordination to maintain continuous communication with Badagry local authorities, including the police and health services, for rapid response to any incident.
• الدعم الصحي والدعم في حالات الطوارئ مع تخصيص إسعافات أولية وطرق وإجراءات الإخلاء في حالات الطوارئ التي تم وضعها ومشاركتها خلال الجلسة التوجيهية. كما سيتم جمع جهات الاتصال الخاصة بالمشاركين في حالات الطوارئ مسبقاً.
• تقييمات سلامة الموقع قبل كل زيارة، لتحديد المخاطر المحتملة، وضمان تقديم إحاطات السلامة الخاصة بالموقع لجميع المشاركين.
• الإبلاغ عن الحوادث، مع تحديد بروتوكولات واضحة لمعالجة الحوادث الأمنية أو الصحية ومعلومات الاتصال بالموظفين الرئيسيين الموزعة على جميع المشاركين.
• Coordination with Local Experienced guides, custodians, translators, and logistical coordinators will be engaged to facilitate all aspects of the tour. Their roles include assisting with crowd management, ensuring safe passage at busy or sensitive locations, and supporting communication in case of emergency.

ترتيبات الإقامة

The Conference will secure Hotel Reservations for the Badagry tour participants in advance. Rooms will be assigned upon payment of the Tour Fees and will have been vetted for safety, cleanliness, and comfort. Rooming options will include Double or twin occupancy rooms, with options for single rooms available upon early request and at an additional cost. Each room will include essential amenities such as air conditioning, private bathrooms, and secure storage for valuables. Daily housekeeping services and 24-hour front desk support will be available throughout the stay. The accommodation package will include breakfast each morning, served at the Hotel dining facility. Lunch will be arranged by the Conference either on-site or at the Hotel, offering a variety of local and continental options. Two Dinners will be organized as a group meal at the hotel restaurant, for special welcome and farewell featuring local cuisine and entertainment. Safe Drinking Bottled water will be provided all through the tours and along with all meals.

Postconference Registration Cost

The postconference registration cost is $598 USD per person; an additional payment processing fee of $37.66 is assessed by Whova and Stripe. This includes 2 days of lodging, tea, lunch, dinner, and 3 days of security, transportation, language interpreters (French and Spanish), tour coordination and facilitation, and entertainment.

To register for the Postconference, attendees can select and submit payment for the “Lessons In the Ways of Water” Postconf – Sep 5-7 through the Registration portal.

لجنة تخطيط ما قبل المؤتمر الدولي للمؤتمر الدولي للمؤتمر 2026 وما بعده

• تيفيني خيمينيز
• نكيرو نناوليزي
• موسهود أولانريواجو
• ليو ويلتون