President Bola Tinubu has endorsed the Heritage Voyage of Return initiative, which aims to reunite Afro-descendants with their African roots.
UNITY TIMES reports that the president met with Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and the initiators of the project on Friday in Abuja.
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Tinubu said the project would “rekindle our past and light up the spirit of our ancestors.” He also said it would create economic benefits for Africa.
He thanked Professor Soyinka for supporting the initiative and for his commitment and patriotism over the years. “This is an important project that must be pursued,” Tinubu said.
“Reconnecting Afro-Brazilians with their African roots will be an iconic project that will rekindle our past and light up the spirit of our ancestors. It will re-awaken memories of what happened many years ago. And it is a good thing that this is coming now at a time when we are working on expanding the frontiers of freedom and democracy in Africa,” President Tinubu said.
Professor Wale Adeniran, who led the delegation, said the Heritage Voyage of Return would begin in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and make stops at various African nations before terminating in Lagos.
“Because this is an identical project, the initiators of the Heritage Voyage of Return discussed the plan with Professor Soyinka, who also endorsed it,” he said.
Carolina Maira Morais, a Brazilian who is also a member of the delegation, said there are around 126 million Afro-descendants in Brazil. She said the project would help to integrate the two nations together.
“Nigeria, the largest black population and the leading economy in Africa, and Brazil, a giant of South America. There are many African traditional families in Brazil. But no African country has gone to Brazil to identify and connect with them,” Morais said.
Morais also said that Brazilian President Lula da Silva is planning to visit Nigeria and has a special heart for Africa. She described Professor Soyinka as a hero and icon in Brazil.