NATIONAL MUSEUM

First of all, it is the building that can be visited, a very fine example of period architecture, typical of these prefabricated houses in the United Kingdom and delivered by containers 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 consists of a series of dusty but well documented galleries: on the ground floor, a look back at slavery and the first explorers who landed in Calabar, then at the evolution of the currencies in use and the palm oil industry, using numerous maps, sketches, photos, letters and warrants from the period. Access to the first floor is via an external wooden staircase, which leads directly to the living room, still richly furnished (observe the manual fan!). From the window, view of the bay where the boats once landed and, in the distance, the cemetery where Mary Slessor rests.

The galleries on the first floor detail religion, social life and political organization of the time. Interesting opposition of two Ekpe masks, one from Calabar and the other from Cuba. It ends with the history of the struggle for independence, the first elections and the years of independence. In the courtyard, where you can enjoy a very beautiful view of the Calabar River, there is an old post office, a telephone box and an original monolith.