By Onyekachi Victoria Philip
The widely known La Campagne Tropicana still standing strong since 1989 till date, long before it became associated with African-inspired hospitality, nature tourism and cultural experiences was already developing a reputation as a destination where hospitality, entertainment and intellectual gatherings could meet.
Looking back at the resort’s development around 2005, when La Campagne Tropicana was commissioned at Ikegun Village in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State: A later academic study documenting tourism facilities in South-West Nigeria records the resort as having been commissioned in 2005, providing an important reference point for understanding the early stage of its development.
By January 2007, La Campagne Tropicana had become the venue advertised for a literary gathering involving one of Nigeria’s most prominent contemporary writers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. An archived January 2007 event notice announced a National Mirror Labyrinth Cocktail and Reading Encounter with Adichie, scheduled at La Campagne Tropicana.
The programme was built around a reading by Adichie and a roundtable discussion of her acclaimed novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. The event notice also invited participants to engage through questions and comments.
In a February 2007 report, renowned Juju musician Sir Sina Peters had performed at La Campagne Tropicana the previous weekend, entertaining guests and fans at the resort.
The available evidence does not support the claim that one single special event defined the resort approximately 20 years ago. Instead, it reveals something arguably more significant which is, within a relatively short period after its recorded 2005 commissioning, La Campagne was being positioned as a destination capable of hosting experiences spanning tourism, literature, music and African cultural expression.
A resort recorded as commissioned in 2005 was, by 2007, appearing in contemporary records associated with a literary programme involving Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and a performance by Juju star Sir Sina Peters.
These early records help place La Campagne Tropicana’s present-day identity in historical context. Its combination of hospitality, entertainment and cultural experiences did not emerge overnight.
The foundations were already visible nearly two decades ago, when the resort was beginning to establish itself as more than a place to stay but as a destination where people could gather around African culture, creativity, music and leisure.
Today, looking back at those early records offers a rare window into the formative years of a resort that has continued to build its identity around the intersection of African heritage, tourism and hospitality.