New Delhi, April 8 -- Thousands of revelers flooded Nigeria's Lagos for the annual Lagos Fanti Carnival, celebrating the Afro-Brazilian heritage of the "Aguda" or the formerly enslaved people who returned from Brazil in the 19th century.

The festival, usually celebrated during Eastertide in recent years, is one of West Africa's most prominent cultural celebrations, similar to Brazil's Rio Carnival, the world's biggest party.

After reaching West Africa, many of the returnees settled in Lagos, building a life among the city's Yoruba ethnic group. They retained some of the Brazilian and Portuguese cultures and infused them into music, food, architecture, religion and lifestyle, giving life to the Fanti carnival.

"If you know the history o...