Tinted lantern slide displaying the large congregation of men, women, and children attending the church at Akaniobio in Old Calabar. While some people dress in traditional Calabar styles, others wear clothing from Europe.
Onoyom Iya Nya, a wealthy trader who converted to Christianity through Mary Mitchell Slessor’s influence, first constructed a church in 1905. But in 1906, the original church was flooded.
As the hub of a new community on higher ground, Onoyam Iya Nya constructed a new church and gave the area the name Obio Usiere, or “Town of the Dawn.”