Our Story!

In the 1830’s to early 19th Century, many of the African slaves freed from countries like Brazil began to return back to their home continents. A number of the Afro Brazilians often known as ‘Agudas’ or ‘Saros’ settled in coastal cities like Lagos (Especially Lagos Island) and in Portnovo, forging new identities for themselves in the areas where they settled by fusing aspects of Portuguese colonial culture and African heritage in their homes. Their presence visible in the new unique Brazilian styled buildings around Lagos Island, with many of them also passing down their adopted Brazilian names and heritage to their descendants.
One of such, was the family of Pedro.
In the heart of Isale-Eko, there once stood the home of Akinseye Pedro, a proud Afro-Brazilian house steeped in history and a testament to Lagos’ culture. As the story goes, Pedro Akinseye himself was a wise, hard-working and honest businessman, well versed in trade and popular for his charisma. He was one of the boisterous returnees from the 19th century who was loved and respected by his neighbors and everyone who knew him. A man who possessed a deep knowledge of history and culture and his home was reminiscent of all that he was.
For decades, the house of Akinseye Pedro stood the test of time, as it watched over Lagos, its walls echoing with tales of old Lagosians and several inhabitants of the Pedro clan, its roof touched by the spirit of resilience and bustling trade of the Eko business and shop owners. When the city’s face began to change, moving towards more urban development as many Afro-Brazilian houses where demolished and skyscrapers took the sky, it was finally time for the house of Pedro to move on, making room for the new world.
The grandchild of Akinseye Pedro, Emmanuel Pedro who grew up regaled by tales of his grandfather and other returnees, was bent on preserving what he deemed a monument to the past and his grandfather’s name, and so he took it upon himself to ensure the preservation of the House of Akinseye Pedro. The plan was simple: transport Pedro’s house to the Afro-Brazilian cultural centre in Ibeju-Lekki, where it could live on in peace, a monument to the past.
But fate had a different plan.
During the journey, just as the house reached Landmark in Oniru, a storm struck with such force that the winds spun the house into the air. Thunder crashed, and a bolt of lightning split the sky as onlookers gasped. When the dust settled, the house had landed perfectly on its roof, flipped upside down. The house of Pedro had fallen.
And so, time passed, but, the old house’s walls remained intact, as if Pedro Akinseye himself had willed it to stay standing. Some say it’s the house’s way of holding on to the spirit of Lagos, a reminder that no matter how the city changes, its roots—and everything that defines this city that never sleeps—always remain intact. No matter the upside downs.
Today, this house of Pedro, now fondly called the upside-down house stands tall within Landmark Lagos,one of the most visited tourist destinations in Lagos, Nigeria, welcoming visitors from all over the world, eager to see this unique edifice.