Bimbia indigenes protest alleged sale of Slave Trade Heritage site

An inviestigative report by Jabi Katy*

With placards and peace plants in hand, dressed in black, and chanting protest songs, the Bimbia people took to the streets on January 13, to denounce the alleged ceding of the Bimbia Slave Trade Center.  The protesters displayed phrases such as “No to administrative suppression of the Fako people”, and “Bimbia Fako, says no to oppression” while chanting in local Pidgin-English, “slave trade center, no be for sell”

According to the protesters, they had come across information on social media alleging plans to cede the historic site to a third party. Prompting their protest march to the palace of the paramount chief of Limbe and later to the office of the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Fako.

“We came out in our numbers here today, in reaction to letters which we discovered on social media which indicate that the Bimbia slave trade site is in the process of being ceded to a third party pending formal signatures. Meaning that there is an agreement in place to retrocede the Bimbia slave trade site to a third party”, explained Henry Njalla Quan Junior, a Bimbia indigene

The SDO expressed disappointment in the manner of communication and urged them to return later and formally submit their grievances.

The letter, dated January 10, 2025, was reportedly written by Nseke Luma Eso, mayor of Limbe III council, to the prime minister’s office. It expresses surprise at rumors of the site being ceded to Gilgal Tower Company LLC for 50 years despite being under the council’s management. The letter also notes an impending minister of arts and culture visit to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and lay a foundation stone at the site.

Historical and Cultural Significance

Located in the dense mangrove forests of Limbe III Municipality in Fako division, the Bimbia slave trade village is a historical reminder of the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. It once served as a transit point for enslaved Africans shipped to the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean.  The site contains relics such as dungeons, padlocks, chains, the door of no return, and more. Nearby historical relics include the first Baptist Church in Cameroon, founded in 1843 by Joseph Merrick, and German canons pointing to Nicole’s Island where slaves were kept.

Commissioned as a national cultural heritage in 2017, Bimbia was added to UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites on March 12, 2020.

The site is located precisely in Dikolo, one of the three villages in Bimbia.  HRH Epupa Ekum Samuel, chief of Dikolo-Bimbia says the place is the heritage of the Bimbia people and was founded by the chiefs from the area. He expressed disappointment over the alleged ceding agreement without his knowledge or that of his people.

“The slave trade market was founded by the chiefs of Bimbia who were slave dealers, in those days during the slave trade era. My great grandfather Ekum’a Makundu called “dick merchant” was one of the slave traders along this coast”, HRH Epupa Samuel remarked.

Henry Njalla Quan Junior added that prior attempts by the indigenes to develop the site were blocked by the council, indicating strict instructions not to tamper with the UNESCO certification process, and no activity should be carried out there.

Investor’s Clarifications

On January 14, businessman Eric Igwacho, of Gilgal Towers held a press conference to address the issue. He clarified that the company is entering a 10-year partnership with the government to develop the site and enhance its tourism appeal, not purchasing it as rumored. He mentioned bringing positive developments to the people such as inviting investors, building a monument, building resorts, and employing denizens of Bimbia, Limbe, and Southwest at large, amongst other promises.

“Let it be clear that, I never discussed buying a land, never discussed taking the slave trade village over or the government ceding it over to me”, he stated.

During the press conference, some youths from Limbe were present to anchor their support for the project and development of the Bimbia site. However, it was observed that most of the youths were from other parts of Limbe and none from Dikolo-Bimbia in particular, with a few from other villages in Limbe III.

Expert Opinion

Heritage anthropologist, Dr Evelyne Tegomoh, stressed the importance of a culturally appropriate development process in situations as this.

“You cannot come to a place and appropriate without talking with the people. Because they need to understand what their role will be in the process. In the Case of the Bimbia slave trade site, they see it as part of their heritage, they are attached to it. They are more versed with the stories and they will be ones to tell these stories to the tourists, and so they have to be involved”. She advised.

Igwacho assured that he planned to meet with the Bimbia authorities after the visit of the minister. “I told the minister that after laying the foundation stone, I will contact the youths, I will contact the people of Bimbia, of Limbe, of Fako, of Cameroon to submit a bid to come up with a design for the monument.” He advanced.

Reports suggest the Minister’s initially planned visit for Tuesday, January 14 was intercepted by the protests. “We are not happy because we were not consulted, we were not informed…. We simply want an open, fair, and transparent process that is going to involve the indigenes of the land. Remarked Njalla Quan

Dr Evelyn Tegomoh further recommends a bottom-top approach as a way forward in this conflict. She urged the stakeholders to return to the negotiation table to find a mutually beneficial solution. Indicating that the right standard should be to discuss first with the community, before talking with central decision-makers.