The Afro-Brazilian connection to Lagos — exploring the Aguda community, the returnees, and the extraordinary cultural legacy they left behind.
September 7 marks Brazil's Independence Day. But in Lagos, this date carries a meaning few people know. The story of the Aguda — Yoruba and other West African descendants who were enslaved in Brazil, gained freedom, and returned to Lagos in the 19th century — is one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of this city.
"The Aguda built houses that still stand in Lagos today. They brought music, food, architecture, and a new kind of identity — part African, part Brazilian, entirely Lagos."
Brazil Independence Day Lagos is a cultural evening that explores the deep historical and cultural connection between Lagos and Brazil. Through storytelling, music, food, and visual documentation, we unpack a history that shaped the architecture of Lagos Island and the identity of an entire community.
When enslaved Yoruba people and other West Africans gained freedom in Brazil in the 19th century, many chose to return to West Africa — primarily to Lagos, Badagry, and Porto-Novo. They brought with them a culture that had been transformed by decades in Brazil: the Portuguese language, Catholicism mixed with Yoruba spirituality, feijoada, capoeira, and a distinctive architectural style that still marks Lagos Island buildings today.
This event is our tribute to that extraordinary story and the community it built.
Per person. Includes full cultural programme, dining, and exhibition access.