Tinubu, Lula Back Soyinka’s Heritage Voyage Project
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have formally endorsed the Heritage Voyage of Return (HVR) — a cultural initiative led by Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka to reconnect Afro-descendants with their ancestral roots in Africa. The endorsement was announced during President Tinubu’s state visit to Brazil in August, where both leaders pledged full support for the symbolic “homecoming voyage.” The project envisions descendants of enslaved Africans in Brazil, the Caribbean, and the Americas making a historic sea journey back to Africa — a gesture of dignity, belonging, and cultural reconnection. In a moving encounter in Brasília, President Lula received Soyinka, touched foreheads with him, and declared: “The grace on you, I ask it upon myself.” Lula affirmed his government’s commitment to HVR, describing it as a landmark opportunity to heal the wounds of […]