PAWA To Join The Heritage Voyage of Return Project

Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA) will participate in the Wole Soyinka-led Heritage Voyage of Return (HVR).

The Heritage Voyage of Return is a transformative ocean voyage that will retrace in reverse the historical maritime routes, cities, and settlements through which millions of Africans were forcibly taken into slavery.

The 10-week Atlantic voyage by ship, connecting Brazil, the Americas, and the Caribbean back to the African continent, has been recognised as a Pan-African cultural and historical initiative that offers a symbolic and physical homecoming for descendants of enslaved Africans across the Americas.

The voyage will also feature a specially curated ‘mini-FESTAC’ cruise vessel that will sail through the aforementioned city and regions, including the Mediterranean and West African coastlines, beginning in the third quarter of 2027.

The project has already been officially endorsed by Presidents Lula da Silva of Brazil and Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria.

PAWA’s announcement of its participation in the project is the result of a recent meeting between some literary and cultural stakeholders with Professor Wole Soyinka, who is the project’s coordinator.