17 Feb Marlon Jackson’s ‘Manacle Kingdom’
Marlon Jackson/File photo
And now for your Head-Desk Moment of the Day:
After the roaring success that was Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, his brother Marlon Jackson is planning to develop a slavery theme park and luxury resort in Nigeria. The park, to be called the Badagry Historical Resort, will include a slave ship replica, casino, and luxury condominiums at the port that was the last point of departure for slavers heading to the Americas with their human cargo. According to this article in the Telegraph, “Visitors would be able to visit a replica slave ship and walk the route their shackled ancestors walked before playing a round of golf or relaxing by a pool.”
But the fun doesn’t end there. The investors behind the plan, The Motherland Group, say:
“This will be an adventurous ride giving you an historical overview of African music. From hologram images, concert footage, a state of the art recording facility, to robotic figures displaying the rhythmic beats from 300 years ago where music began leading up to the biggest African group in the world, The Jackson Five.”
Just try and wrap your head around the idea that somewhere in there, there might be an animatronic Michael Jackson.
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dar
Posted at 22:27h, 31 JanuaryI think that its interesting that Americans think that it is in bad taste and yet the Africans right there, support it. I support and say good for him. Americans are basically shallow and childlike and have yet to be able to even have a decent conversation about slavery that is intelligent without verbose nonsense being slung about by white and black people. I’ve said for years that the only way America could handle slavery is if it were a disney film about “Annie the poor little runaway slave helped by her little blonde and blue-eyed friend Sara. If Marlon doesn’t do it, Disney will…go Marlon.
Jonathan Botts
Posted at 23:27h, 03 JanuaryIt seems as though Marlon’s heart is in the right place, but not so much his head. The best way to preserve such hallowed ground as The Point of No Rerturn is to get the Nigerian government to agree to never allow development there. That is true preservation.
It is better to invest in subsidized travel for African-Americans who would have otherwise never had a chance to visit such an important area in our ancestral history. All development i.e. a museum, hotels, etc. should be away from the port and trail. Let’s not Americanize Nigeria. May the coast from which our people were taken be the last remaining untouched area of the Atlantic Slave Trade (besides the ocean itself) and may it remain that way for future generations to enjoy.
Jonathan Botts
Posted at 23:24h, 03 JanuaryIt seems as though Marlon’s heart is in the right place, but not so much his head. The best way to preserve such hallowed ground as The Point of No Rerturn is to get the Nigerian government to agree to never allow development there. That is true preservation.
It is better to invest in subsidized travel for African-Americans who would have otherwise never had a chance to visit such an important area in our ancestral history. All development i.e. a museum, hotels, etc. should be from the port and trail. Let’s not Americanize Nigeria, may othe coast from which our people left be the last remaining untouched area of the Atlantic Slave Trade (besides the ocean itself).
REV MOSES GBENU, President, Ministry of Eternal Affairs, Ibadan, Nigeria
Posted at 15:50h, 22 AprilI am very delighted to read about the Motherland Group proposed project in Badagry. We very much appreciate this gesture. I believe it is an answer to our annual prayers of many years for the city and the local government.
I am an indigene of Badagry. I just came back on a visit to the town and some villages after being away for ten years. I wept. The poverty and underdevelopment of Badagry are appalling. Even though very close to Lagos, Badagry is an embarrassment. Badagry Local government area of Lagos State has been abandoned by different past governments of the State. We thank God that the present Fashola government has some great ideas, especially, through the ten-lane road and the electricity production project.
However, we wish to strongly advice the Motherland Group to rethink the kind of project to embark upon that can help the people of the area. I suggest that the money for the project be divided into two. One part may go to build their resort center. But what benefit is a tourist center in a slum? Therefore, I suggest that the second part of the money be spent for direct development of the area – in the area of specialized schools, dredging of water ways to popular fishing villages like IRAGBO in that local government, finding a lasting solution to the water hyacinth that has destroyed the people’s means of livelihood – fishing, and establishment of manufacturing industries that will engage the people of the land.
The third major project I will propose is to create a port. Lagos port is highly congested, yet the government has never thought about creating another port in Badagry. Badagry is at the border of Benin Republic, and therefore a better location than anywhere else in Nigeria as a sea port, especially, because of its proximity to Lagos. Much smuggling goes on around Badagry, yet we do not see a government which sees the need to use this opportunity to create a legitimate sea port to create wealth.
Moreover, a port where many Nigerian goods can be exported to nations will be a very good and indeed a better memory for a city exporting slaves out of Nigeria.
The other way the Motherland Group can also help positively is to invest in the prospecting of the mineral resources in the local government area. I know we have oil and a few things in my area. This will also help the Group business wise.
Whatever is done must not be put in the hand of a government, otherwise it will die a natural death because of lack of maintenance. All projects should be maintained by private companies who will be responsible for them. The government can collect taxes, or whatever they feel is legally due to them.
If the resources of the Jacksons cannot meet these needs, let them start from somewhere, and others will certainly join them as time goes on.
Thank you, very much for this gesture.
Rev. MOSES J. GBENU
President, Ministry of Eternal Affairs,
Author: Woman, Why Weepest Thou?
Naiwu OSAHON
Posted at 14:40h, 12 MarchThe park is a great idea. I live near there. I am the leader of the Pan-African Movement worldwide. We are planning African annual spiritual pilgrimage to link with the park. Enhanced, modernized African spirituality called the Myk would soon be launched world wide and it is to wean Africans form alien religions that have continued to mentally enslave them in the 21st century. Myk is taken from Mhuri ye kutanga, Shona, Zimbabwe words meaning THE CRADLE FAMILY. The Cradle means the first and,of course, the first means the best in any language.
Every year, thousands of Africans from around the world go on pilgrimage and spend their hard earned money in enemy territories, Mecca and Jerusalem. We were planning the annual pilgrimage for Calabar Nigeria until the Motherland idea for Badagry came along. We have not linked with the sponsors of the Badagry project yet but we intend to do so as soon as our books to launch African spirituality and uplift entitled: (a) THE END OF KNOWLEDGE and (b) Myk come out of print in the next 60 days. The end of knowledge destroys all the myths promoted by white world hegemony to keep us perpetually enslaved economically, religiously and mentally.
We are taking back our leadership of the world from where our ancestors we pushed off inelegantly, some 2000 years ago..
Naiwu Osahon
Leader Pan African Movement worldwide,
Spiritual Prince of the African Race.
Renee Greene
Posted at 11:22h, 19 FebruarySlave House to the White House
He knows what he’s doing. Mr. Jackson and his investors need to change their focus, but not the message. They should deepen the communal ties by taking the focus off the Jackson Five and making it a tribute to all of the “African Americans” whose descendants turned the situation around and overcame as citizens of the United States, and then include The Jackson Five in the museum. It’s really the only leverage, or playing card, that he has.
This is our homeland. In America, we are not just entertainers, we are socialists, scientists, politicians, frontiersmen, founders, authors, mathematicians, doctors, lawyers, fighters, lovers, players, preachers, teachers, achievers, believers…this is where it needs to go. Total focus, not just on entertainment.
It may also be a great platform to tell our African ancestors, as God would have us do, that we forgive them; and to make a contribution back to our historical roots. It is money-making, but it is also money-giving, creating jobs and industry and enterprise. And it could also be the jump-off point for other small businesses in Nigeria.
Marlon Jackson not only has worked hard and has the ability to bring respect back to the Jackson Family, but he also has the leverage he needs right now to hook our ancestral ties and heritage back into the blessings God has bestowed upon us in the USA.
I don’t see it as tasteless; I see it as adventurous and definitely different. He would do well though to open the door to all African Americans who accomplished and overcame in America, though, and not just the Jackson Five.
That’s the only real problem I can see with it.