Dubass Duke Foundation

Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Kalabari and Kalabar)[1] is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The City is watered by the Calabar River and Great Qua Rivers and creeks of the Cross River (from its inland delta). Calabar is the capital of Cross River State and has an estimated population of 1.2 million residents.

 

The original town was known as Atakpa. The spelling Calabar remained till the British came and pronounced Calabar as Calabah. The neighboring town of Ataba took over the name and its Efik /Qua/Efut indigenes became known as Calabar pronounced Calabah till this day. As far back as the 16th century, Calabar had been a recognized international sea port, shipping out goods such as palm oil.[2] During the era of the Atlantic slave trade It subsequently became a major port in the transportation of African slaves. The city once served as the seat of Government of the Niger Coast Protectorate, Southern Protectorate and Oil River Protectorate (effectively the headquarters of modern day Nigeria).

 

Atlantic slave trade
Most slave ships that transported slaves from Calabar were English, at around 85% of these ships being from Bristol and Liverpool merchants.[3] Old Calabar (Duke Town) and New Calabar (Creek Town, 10 miles northeast) were crucial towns in the trade of slaves in that era.[1] The main ethnic group taken out of Calabar as slaves were the Igbo, although they were not the main ethnicity in the area.[4] African-American writer and slave John Jea was from the area.