All you need to know about visiting the slave history museum in Calabar

There are many

The Slave History Museum is located on the site of a 15th-century slave-trading warehouse in Marina Resort, Calabar. The museum has an extensive depiction of the slave trade era in Nigeria and West Africa, and other celebrations of Nigeria's rich history.

Expect to see

Many slaves were taken from the continent through the port of Calabar. The Museum documents the horrific experiences of these slaves at that time. You will see the exhibits which explore local slave markets, the grim paraphernalia of the trade including shackles and chains, and the variety of currencies used to buy people, such as copper bars, brass bells and flutes. How slaves were transported and treated, how slaves were arranged on the ships, how the white slave masters treated the slaves while on the farm and lots more are also exhibited in the Slave History Museum.

The way this museum is different from the other slave museums in the country is in its graphic representation of the slaves which show life sized sculptures. These sculptures depict different scenes representing different eras and goes a step further to include audio recordings. You can hear slaves being auctioned and sold off, hear them working on plantations and some other scenes. You can also see the unique historic artifact roles Calabar played in trade and commerce.

A part of the museum shows the rich Efik tradition similar to that of Trinidad and Tobago.

Things to note

Pictures are not allowed in the museum so you might not be able to get a photo inside. Entrance fee is N200 only and it is a guided tour.