While covering the rowing events at the inaugural Niger Delta Sports Festival in Nigeria, the Idy Sports media team encountered something far deeper than athletic competition—a haunting memorial in a West African village that revealed the names of 17 locals sold into slavery centuries ago.

Standing at the very shoreline where these lives were torn from their homes, the team was struck by the gravity of the past. These weren’t nameless figures from textbooks—they were real people with families, legacies, and descendants who still live in the region today.

Beside the monument lay a rusted British slave boat, a chilling relic of the transatlantic slave trade. But its story didn’t end in tragedy alone—captives once seized control of the vessel, forcing it back to shore. It now rests as a symbol of resistance and resilience.

This experience reminded us that sports can uncover more than victory—it can reveal truths long buried. As we celebrate athletic achievement, we also honor the enduring spirit of those who were taken from these shores. Their names live on, etched in stone and memory, reminding us that history is not just remembered—it is felt.