The Captivating Story of “Igbo Landing” in St. Simons Islands Georgia USA

29th Jan. 2016

The quest for Biafra independence has a historical significance for many people in the Eastern part of Nigeria and for the Igloos in particular. The Igbo republicanism and quest for freedom has historical origins dating back to the era of slave trade and colonialism. In Aba in the 50s Igbo women rose in protest against the British colonial administrators’ imposition of taxes. In some of the slave ships taking the  Igbo slaves to the new world some of the Igbo slaves rose in protest inside the slave ships. The slave masters had quick solution to such protest, they simply dumped the protesting shackled Igbo slaves overboard into the Atlantic ocean.




Some of the slaves even had solutions to their captivity when they reached America, and one of the strongest evidence was the Igbo Landing event which took place in St Simons Island Georgia in the United States in May of 1803. The Igbo slaves were brought to St Simon’s island, and some account indicates that while their captors were away from the scene busy soliciting for buyers for more than 75 slaves, the Igbo slaves had their own solution to their captivity. They had an agreement among themselves that they would never serve the white man in America. They spoke in their native Igbo language what their strategy and solution would be. They,  men, women, and Children slaves decide to march back into the ocean and drown themselves rather than serving as slaves to their captors. Everyone of the Igbo slaves agreed and still in their shackles, they marched into the Atlantic ocean and drowned themselves. They left a message behind, that they were brought to America by the Atlantic, and through the Atlantic they will all go back home.

                                                         

Till today the natives of St Simmons Island Georgia say they still hear the strange voices of the Igbo slaves occasionally through the ocean drift winds and currents. Several years ago Igbo Kings and chiefs came all the way from Igboland to pay tribute to these Igbo slaves that perished in Dunbar creek of the coast of St. Simon’s island Ga in accordance to Igbo tradition.

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