Jaja of Opobo - Legacy

Legacy

King Jaja was exiled by te British to St Vincent in the West Indies and, later, to Barbados. His presence was alleged to be the cause of immense civil unrest among the enslaved people of Barbados and after years of campaigning for his freedom, Jaja was moved to the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa, to prevent the possibility of a slave revolt. Jaja eventually won his liberty after years of fighting against his wrongful abduction, and it was agreed by Parliament that he could be repatriated to his Kingdom State of Opobo. Jaja was by then an old man and after years in exile his health had deteriorated. He embarked on a British vessel bound for Opobo, but his health continued to fail and on his way back Jaja died. His body was shipped instead to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where he was buried. The anger and fury felt by his people due to the chain of events that had preceded, compelled many Opobians to press their demands for the body of their king, which was promptly exhumed and transported back to Opobo for Jaja to be buried there. Many of his people had never given up hope that one day their much loved and powerful king (Amayanabo) would return, and after his body was returned he was honoured with two years of mourning and with a ceremony immortalising Jaja as a deity.