Door of Return

{{Short description|Symbolic monument}}

{{Distinguish|Door of No Return}}

File:"Door of no return" Cape Coast castle, Ghana.jpg, Ghana]]

The Door of Return is an emblem of African Renaissance and is a pan-African initiative that seeks to launch a new era of cooperation between Africa and its diaspora in the 21st century.{{cite web|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/-Door-of-Return--monument-to-be-erected-in-Accompong-Town|title='Door of Return' monument to be erected in Accompong Town|first=Kimberley |last=Hibbert|website=Jamaica Observer|date=7 January 2017|accessdate=27 August 2017}} The name is a reference to the "Door of No Return", a monument commemorating the transatlantic slave trade.

On 24 August 2017, Nigeria erected the first symbolic Door of Return monument as part of the Diaspora Festival in Badagry.{{cite web|url=https://en.unesco.org/events/diaspora-festival-badagry|title=Diaspora Festival Badagry|publisher=UNESCO|date=2017|accessdate=27 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/lagos-open-door-return-africans-diaspora-festival-badagry/|title=Lagos to open 'Door of Return' to Africans during Diaspora Festival in Badagry |first=Emmanuel| last=Okogba|publisher= Vanguard News|date=14 June 2017|website=Vanguardngr.com|accessdate=27 August 2017}} The symbolic monument was unveiled under the auspices of the Hon. Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs.{{cite web|url=https://guardian.ng/art/abike-dabiri-erewa-others-endorse-badagry-diaspora-festival-door-of-return-ceremony/|first=Anote |last=Ajeluorou| title=Abike Dabiri-Erewa, others endorse Badagry Diaspora Festival, Door-of-Return ceremony|website=Guardian.ng|date=9 November 2016|accessdate=27 August 2017}}

The Badagry Door of Return Experience is a cultural event commemorating the homecoming of diasporic Africans who are descendants of African ancestors who were taken away as slaves to the Americas over the course of some 400 years during the trans-Atlantic enslavement of African peoples.{{Cite journal |last1=Arasli |first1=Huseyin |last2=Abdullahi |first2=Maryam |last3=Gunay |first3=Tugrul |date=2021-05-31 |title=Social Media as a Destination Marketing Tool for a Sustainable Heritage Festival in Nigeria: A Moderated Mediation Study |journal=Sustainability |volume=13 |issue=11 |pages=6191 |doi=10.3390/su13116191 |issn=2071-1050|doi-access=free |hdl=11250/2982886 |hdl-access=free }} The fourth edition of the commemorative event was held in October 2023.{{Cite web |title=BADAGRY HOSTS FOURTH EDITION OF DOOR OF RETURN |url=https://lagosstate.gov.ng/badagry-hosts-fourth-edition-of-door-of-return/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Lagos State Government |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=BADAGRY DOOR OF RETURN: SET TO BECOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST TOURISM EVENTS IN NIGERIA |url=https://nidcom.gov.ng/press-release/badagry-door-of-return-set-to-become-one-of-the-biggest-tourism-events-in-nigeria/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Nigerians in Diaspora Commission |language=en-GB}}

The Door of Return initiative is expected to advance African economic development in areas of tourism, infrastructure and renewable energy. The erection of Door of Return Monuments are intended to promote inter-continental travel and act as a symbol of Africa’s openness to the Diaspora.{{cite web|url=http://www.atqnews.com/ng/4-nations-door-drive-tourism-diaspora/|title=AFRICA: 4 Nations sign up On Door of Return with Accompong, Jamaica to drive Tourism with Diaspora - ATQ News|first=Sunday |last=Onen|website=Atqnews.com|date=31 March 2017|accessdate=27 August 2017}}