NATIONAL MUSEUM

The first thing to visit is the building itself, a fine example of period architecture, typical of those prefabricated houses delivered in containers from the UK to the first missionaries and local elites. It was built in 1884 for Consul Hewett, overlooking the hill, and later served as the first seat of government, when Calabar was capital of the Southern Protectorate before the transfer to Lagos in 1906.

The museum comprises a series of somewhat dusty, but well-documented galleries: on the first floor, a look back at slavery and the first explorers who landed in Calabar, then at the evolution of coins in use and the palm oil industry, with the help of numerous maps, sketches, photos, letters and money orders from the period. The first floor is accessed via an external wooden staircase, which leads directly to the living room, still richly furnished (note the hand-held fan!). From the window, you can see the bay where boats once landed and, in the distance, the cemetery where Mary Slessor is buried.

Upstairs galleries detail the religion, social life and political organization of the period. Interesting contrast between two Ekpe masks, one from Calabar and the other from Cuba. We end with the history of the struggle for independence, the first elections and the years of independence. In the courtyard, with its beautiful view of the Calabar River, you'll find an old post office, a telephone booth and a highly original monolith.