National Geographic Explorer and Storyteller Tara Roberts cherishes the time spent with Clotilda descendants between filming locations. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_21.jpg
Clotilda descendants and National Geographic Explorer and Storyteller Tara Roberts speak in front of The Door of No Return on Ouidah Beach, where many captured Africans were forcibly marched through before boarding slave ships to the New World. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_17.jpg
National Geographic Explorer and Storyteller Tara Roberts discusses the complex mix of sorrow, pride, and joy with Clotilda descendants on Ouidah Beach, reflecting on their ancestors' legacy and their emotional journey. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_09.jpg
Crew member Rodrigo Salvatierra captures the Clotilda descendants on Ouidah Beach discussing the traumatic events that unfolded during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_06.jpg
Alex Amoussouvi, a local guide, explains the history of Ouidah's slave market, once the busiest in West Africa. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_01.jpg
A replica of a neck chain within a barracoon stands as a stark reminder of the suffering endured. (National Geographic/Chaneé Patterson)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_24.jpeg
Inside a barracoon, replicas of shackles and chains serve as somber reminders of a painful past. (National Geographic/Chaneé Patterson)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_23.jpeg
Delisha Marshall stands in the courtyard where her ancestor, Peter 'Gumpa' Lee, might have lived, had he not been exiled by King Glele over 160 years ago. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_22.jpg
Cassandra Lewis, a descendant of Cudjo 'Kossola' Lewis, recounts her ancestor's experiences at the slave market as described in Zora Neale Hurston's book 'Barracoon.' (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_20.jpg
Clotilda descendants Cassandra Lewis, Garry Lumbers, Altevese Rosario, and Delisha Marshall stand together in front of The Tree of Return in Ouidah. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_19.jpg
Clotilda descendants Cassandra Lewis, Delisha Marshall, Altevese Rosario, and Garry Lumbers hold a ceremony at Ouidah's Tree of Return to honor the Clotilda passengers and others who circled this tree en route to the beach. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_18.jpg
Altevese Rosario stands resolutely on Ouidah Beach, the first stop in her reverse journey through Benin to symbolically return her ancestor, Cudjo 'Kossola' Lewis, home. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_16.jpg
Clotilda descendants Delisha Marshall, Cassandra Lewis, Garry Lumbers, and Altevese Rosario stand united on Ouidah Beach, marking the solemn start of their reverse journey through Benin, where their ancestors departed in 1860. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_15.jpg
Delisha Marshall stands reverently on Ouidah Beach, where her ancestor, Peter 'Gumpa' Lee, was taken in 1860. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_14.jpg
Delisha Marshall stands reverently on Ouidah Beach, where her ancestor, Peter 'Gumpa' Lee, was taken in 1860. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_13.jpg
Cassandra Lewis stands in contemplative silence on Ouidah Beach, where her ancestor, Cudjo 'Kossola' Lewis, was taken in 1860. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_12.jpg
Garry Lumbers stands resolutely on Ouidah Beach, where his ancestor, Cudjo 'Kossola' Lewis, was taken in 1860. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_11.jpg
Garry Lumbers stands resolutely on Ouidah Beach, where his ancestor, Cudjo 'Kossola' Lewis, was taken in 1860. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_10.jpg
Overwhelmed by the moment, Clotilda descendant Cassandra Lewis shares a heartfelt embrace with National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts on Ouidah Beach. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_08.jpg
National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts and Clotilda descendant Cassandra Lewis reflect on Ouidah Beach, contemplating the symbolic return of Cudjo 'Kossola' Lewis to his homeland and the journey ahead. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_07.jpg
Clotilda descendants Garry Lumbers and Altevese Rosario stand together on Ouidah Beach, where their ancestor, Cudjo "Kossola" Lewis, last touched African soil in 1860. (National Geographic/Etinosa Yvonne)Posted 05/20/24ClotildaTheReturnHome_05.jpg
