Visiting Benin Republic

I went back to Benin Republic in May after about 20 years and I was pleasantly surprised. Cotonou is more organised and cleaner than I remember it, the country sure has taken steps in the right direction. 

Street art somewhere in Cotonou

My friend, Mary, and I spent 5 days and 4 nights, a full itinerary was planned for us by our amazing host. 

The best host, trying on his hat straight from Nigeria!

On the day we arrived, we took it easy and spent time catching up. That continued into the next day which was a Friday, but in the evening we were whisked off to Club Kirikou where live music is the main event.

Edith, Mary and I

On Saturday morning, we visited Ganvie, a community on water - I've seen similar in different countries, such as Myanmar (Inya Lake) and Nigeria (Makoko). Our group had a tour guide who talked us through the history of the community. The river we were on to get to Ganvie was originally called the river of death because at a certain time in history, bombardment of villages along the river took place, and as a result, there were bodies floating on the river. Certainly not the most glamorous story to tell.

I am always so fascinated by the knowledge behind how houses are constructed to stay on stilts

Another part of the story is that the colonisers were unable to pronounce many names, so many local names were changed, during the colonial era, including Cotonou. Tourists are wont to think Cotonou is called that because a lot of cotton is produced there, but far from it. Unknown to many is the part where inability to pronounce some names made the names permanent.

Nets to store fish

The deepest point of the Cotonou river is 20m but we were only at 1.5m for our ride to Ganvie. There is a lot of fishing activity in the community but it is customary that men alone fish, as women are forbidden by tradition to fish, and when tradition says something, it isn't questioned. I had no luck with getting answers on this one. We were talked through how nets for natural storage are left in the water.

There are 40,000 inhabitants across 21 villages in Ganvie. Neighbourhoods are set up according to families. If you were born there, you are free to build wherever, but if you are a stranger, you have to buy 'land'. The allotments are more like spots in the water.  

Shelter/homes are erected on stilts and the shade for huts are made from fabric, which keep the house cool. It is recommended to change the fabric every 2 years as it takes quite the beating from all the natural elements. Were they to use zinc as roofing, one might only imagine how much heat it would retain. We went past the church, mosque, hair maker, barber, wares, fruits and vegetables being sold, then potable water being transported on these canoes, that was next level. 

Selling vegetables

The queue for potable water

We also visited the medical centre and it was nice to know that medical services were available, although, for complex cases, they would have to be transferred to Cotonou. We ended at the arts & craft centre, where we got some goods. I got a painting of Ganvie.

The group and our tour guide in front with the sling bag

According to the guide, people in Cotonou don't generally know how to swim but those who live in Ganvie learn from infancy. The story goes that peoples legs were deformed and like a bow. Whenever they went to Cotonou, they were mocked and easily identified as people from Ganvie. To remedy that and for walking to become a norm, sand was brought in and artificial beaches were created, where children could walk and play.

A visit to Cotonou is incomplete without visiting the beach. So we made a pit stop from Edith's house

We went to Ouidah to visit the python temple and the point of no return. 

The place is done up now, compared to when I visited 20 years ago! Pythons are respected and not killed in the community.

Do it afraid 😀

The baby pythons are kept in here

We went from the temple to the square, from where it is about 3.5km to the point of no return. The square (130km from the palace of Dahomey) was used as an open market/place of auction to sell enemies and people that had been conquered by the kingdom of Dahomey. 5 European countries came to buy from there; the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danish, the English and the French who had five fortresses in Ouidah.

The photos above are a representation of how 'slaves' were branded and treated by the 'colonies'.

The first set of 'slaves' who were traded from Dahomey were not captured but went voluntarily instead of being sacrificed for Voodoo. The slave trade then grew and took another dimension with the king of Dahomey choosing who could be sold; he excluded twins as they were sacred. Captives were turned to servants, who were eventually sold.

The walkway leading to the square

They would walk for 7 days and 7 nights to Ouidah, then be made ready to be branded by the marker from the 5 purchasing countries. Whiskey, mirrors, gold, guns were items exchanged for people and these buyers would take as many people as possible, knowing that some would die en route (at sea). The level of cruelty in these stories is always so hard to digest!

Till today, people still bear names based on these colonies. In 1972, locals decided to destroy everything that reminded them of the past. For instance, the dark room where people were kept before being transferred to the ship was destroyed. There is still a lot of resentment in the community which will take time to heal. De Souza palace stands today where the auction place is, and there is an ongoing family dispute on who will succeed as the ruler/king/leader.

The point of no return has also been done up with the monument giving a pictorial representation. Everything has changed compared to when I was last there. Yes, I know it was ages ago! 

Every first Thursday and Friday of the year are marked as Voodoo days and are public holidays. 10th January is the official day and the ceremony is popular in Ouidah which is considered to be the spiritual capital of voodoo. We saw a venue close to the point of no return; voodoo is generally big in Benin Republic.

To end the tour, our host suggested we have lunch at Wini Wini Island, a popular lakeside spot outside Cotonou. 

View of the crossing to Wini Wini island

Mary was in heaven with this!

Some of the views of the area

It sits on the lagoon and you can drive up to a certain point, but have to cross the lake Nokoue by boat. The short commute goes through mangroves. It is one of those calm, isolated, escape areas, perfect for a leisure afternoon away.

There was no way I would visit Cotonou and not see the legendary statue, the monument of the amazone (agojie)!

In all its glory

Night time view

Day time

A friend saw a post of mine from facebook and reached out, she came to meet me and it was a joy to see her as we hadn't seen each other in about 10 years.

Olga and I

The trip was short and sweet. It was lovely to catch up friends, and to see the changes that have taken place. Although the sizes of the cities are incomparable, I hope Lagos can take a leaf from Cotonou 😀