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HERITAGE BEYOND BORDERS: RECONNECTING AFRO-BRAZILIAN RETURNEE FAMILIES BETWEEN BENIN AND NIGERIA By James Akeem Anago-Osho






 
My Afro-Brazilian Returnee Heritage Tour of the Republic of Benin gave me one of the most powerful and emotional experiences of my heritage journey.


At Okoun (Atlantic) Sèmè-Kpodji, near Cotonou, I met descendants of Domingos Jose Martins, an Afro-Brazilian returnee whose family history is connected to the wider network of returnee families across the Gulf of Guinea and Nigeria.


During our conversation, they shared something deeply moving with me. They told me that they are related to the Martins family in Nigeria, and that during the 1980s and 1990s, the two branches of the family maintained regular contact through exchange visits and family meetings. Members of the Benin family would travel to Nigeria, while their Nigerian relatives would also visit them.


Sadly, they said that these relationships gradually weakened in the early 2000s. Today, they strongly desire to reconnect the younger generation with their Nigerian relatives so that the family bond, history and memories can be restored.


What surprised me even more was learning that some of the landed property they have inherited is connected to their Nigerian family. It reminded me that our ancestral relationships existed long before the modern borders between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin were created. The transatlantic enslavement if Africans separated families geographically, but it could not completely destroy the bonds of blood, memory, culture and ancestry.


This is why I believe heritage tourism must go beyond visiting monuments and museums. It should also become a bridge for reconnecting families, communities and descendants who were separated by history. Our borders may divide territories, but they should never be allowed to divide our families, our heritage and our shared African identity. 


The story of the Martins family is a reminder that there are many African families on both sides of today’s borders who may still be searching for one another.


We must document these stories. We must preserve the memories. We must reconnect the descendants. We must encourage family heritage exchanges. And, most importantly, we must ensure that our children know where they come from and understand the relationships that existed before the colonial borders. 


Our ancestors were separated by history. We have the opportunity to reconnect their descendants through heritage.


James Akeem Anago-Osho

Heritage Professional | Cultural Tourism Specialist | Museum Curator | International Tourist Guide


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