One of the most striking and special localities of Benin We found it in the Lake Nokoué, near the coastal city of Cotonou. Above its waters rises the city of Ganvié, displaying a curious architecture and way of life fully adapted to the circumstances.
It hasn't always been like this. The city rose in its time due to conflicts between different ethnic groups in the region. It is known that the Fon tribe traded with slaves, taking advantage of the economic advantage in a sad time in Africa, under the patronage of the Portuguese in this area.
To escape the greed of the rival ethnic group, the members of the Tofinu tribe settled in the lake Nokoué. Did this throw the Fon off their trail? Not exactly. They took advantage of their rivals’ beliefs, which forbade them from entering the lake. This saved them from being decimated and taken as slaves to unknown destinations via one of the Gates of No Return scattered across West Africa.
All this happened in the 17th century. The descendants of the first settlers still live here, now numbering more than 20,000. Ganvié is Africa’s largest town built on stilts, earning it the name “the Venice of Africa”.
Everyday life has since developed on the surface of the lake, with canoes being the main means of transport in the locality, and fishing, one of the main activities. The latter has developed in a very curious way, since the inhabitants of Ganvié build a kind of Poultry for fish.
They arrange tree and palm branches into structures soon covered with algae, where fish grow until caught. Small islands near the lakeshore are used to rear domestic animals that supplement local diets.
In our itinerary of the trip to Benin we spend a day discovering the city of Ganvié, learning about daily life, temples and sacred objects, Seventh Heaven churches, fishing methods and the floating market, and meeting residents.