Cotonou, Benin
Thousands of Beninese sell and trade at many marketplaces in downtown Cotonou. Every street has a merchant selling clothes, food, gasoline, etc.
Cotonou is the financial center of Benin. It holds the largest marketplace in West Africa and the West African Stock Exchange. Passing cars and mopeds whisk by with Pardon or Forgive license plates. There are two major paved roads in Benin. One going east to west and the other, north to south. We traveled north to get to Ganvie, a city on the lake. Some call it the Venice of Africa.
In Their Own Words... Read the personal journals of Kelly Wright and Van Dora Williams as they experienced these historic events. Historic Ganvie It took about 40 minutes to get there. 25,000 people call Ganvie home. In the native tongue, it means peace. The city was formed during the slave trade. Escaped Africans came out to the water because it was taboo for the African soldiers to cross any body of water. The Africans learned to build homes on wooden stilts. They made their own traps and lived off the catch of the day along with some vegetables and rice. A humble and uncomplicated life for them.
Two women on Lake Noie
greet us as we pass by.
We had to take a 30 minute boat ride to get there. Boats, why did it have to be boats? The navigators were approximately 8 and 10 years old. I became nervous. The boat, or I should say canoe, like many others, was handmade by the Ganvie people. We had a makeshift roof of wood and cloth to shade us from the sun. I was the third one to get in the boat. It rocked wildly. I turned to exit but the cameraman was already on his way into the boat and I had to sit down. The boat was low in the water. My nervousness increased. When the young guide asked Aaron, the cameraman, to move to the other side to balance the boat out, I nearly lost it. The boat rocked from side to side. I decided I could wait on shore and was in the process of standing up when the very narrow canoe/boat cleared the steps leading to solid ground. I was along for the ride. I calmed down after awhile and enjoyed the view. Like Downtown Cotonou, there was heavy traffic. Buyers and sellers from Ganvie navigated their boats or canoes around us as they went about their daily business. Children bringing supplies from dry land paddled furiously racing each other home. Conversations and gossip were shared as they passed one another along the main watery thoroughfare for Ganvie. From the guide we learned that most of the children don't get a full education. They need more teachers and more mid-wives. Pregnant women have to leave Ganvie and go to the mainland to get the proper medical attention for birth. Ganvie basically has solar power and battery operated radio and TV sets. And those belong to a select few. Most use lanterns to light their homes and boats. None of the homes or buildings were connected to each other. If you wanted to visit your friends, you had to get in the boat and float over. They start their children young on navigating a boat. I saw one young boy no more than 7 years old bringing a large of pot of drinking water home to his family. He expertly maneuvered his boat out of our way without a blink. Apparently, Ganvie is used to visitors.
Everday the people of Ganvie are treated to gorgeous sunsets like this.
Unfortunately, our schedule did not allow us to stay longer. We watched the sun set on Ganvie as we headed back to the mainland.
A Diamond in the Rough When I think about Benin I am filled with fond memories of a small country that has great potential. It is a beautiful country that sets along the Atlantic Ocean. The beaches of Cotonou are like exotic tourist attractions in the Caribbean.
Kelly Wright standing on the front porch at the Ganvie Hotel.
Ganvie is like a magical journey back into the past. It is known as the Venice of Africa with its homes on stilts above Lake Noie. The twenty-five thousand inhabitants rely on fishing to sustain their livelihood. They are poor in money but rich in heart. This tiny village which traces its roots to men and women escaping the capture from Kings during the slave trade is today an example of how man and nature can peacefully coexist. Yet, the romantic atmosphere of Benin does not overshadow its incredible need for economic development. There is an urgent need for more American companies to get involved in trade and development with this tiny republic. President Kerekou extends an invitation for African American companies to do business here. It is time for all Americans to look towards Africa as becoming a partner in the global economy. As English businessman, Michael Fenton Jones explained to me; "we cannot overlook Africa. It has vast raw materials that are waiting to be developed." Without a doubt, all of Africa is a diamond in the rough waiting to be found. In fact, a group of Americans is currently scheduling a voyage to Benin for April 2001. The voyage will sail the slave route returning to Quidah where African Americans will enter the Gate of No Return and rename it as the Gate of Return. The voyage will symbolize the healing of the past and building a brighter future. |
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