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 b...