Charlotte... on the go!: Exploring Magical Benin

Leaving Accra

We had a relatively early start leaving Accra at 6am to beat the traffic and also because we had a long drive ahead of us (5 to 6 hours) to get to Ouidah in Benin (birthplace of the Voodoo religion and well documented history of the slave trade).

Roads were clear as soon as we got past Tema and we were happy that the road conditions were good.

Love the contrast between the greenery and the beautiful cloudy blue skies

After about a 1.5 hour drive, we crossed the Volta River near Sokpo.

Border crossings into Togo and Benin

Instead of crossing the Ghana border into Togo in Lomé, we crossed the border near Kpoglu. To get there, we headed north at Kasseh (1 hr 20 min drive from Accra) and drove towards Akatsi and Dzodze. This probably saved us quite a bit of time as we were told the border crossing in Lomé can be quite chaotic with long queues.

Once we had cleared immigration on the Ghanaian side, we took a short walk over to the Togo immigration office.

Smaller and quieter border crossing between Ghana and Togo

Both Togo and Benin are French speaking countries and even though no one in the group was fluent in French, we were able to understand what was expected of us. It is advisable to have a basic understanding in French before travelling to these countries.

The little white hut on the left hand side of the picture below is where we had to show proof of our yellow fever shot. Once that was done, we walked over to the next building where we all applied for visa on arrival. This cost most of us 10,000 CFA except for a couple of Americans who had to pay 12,000 CFA. After filling out our forms, paying our dues for our visa on arrival, having our passports stamped, having our bags searched by customs (about 40 min), we piled back into the van and took off.

Note... photography is not allowed at border crossings

Money changers trying to convince us they had the best rates

Roads in Togo are well paved so the drive across Togo took only about an hour. The scene at the border crossing between Togo and Benin was a whole lot busier by comparison. There were trucks, vans, cars and buses all lined up to cross the border.

We got out of our van and joined the groups of people crossing the border at the immigration office. On the Togo side of the border, there were 2 offices we had to visit; one checked our passports to make sure we had our paperwork before stamping our passports while the other office scanned our passports.

The gate on the Togo side of the border we passed through as we left to head over to Benin

The lineup of vehicles at the border in Togo to get into Benin

Between the Togo and Benin borders, we walked by many stalls along the road. They sold drinks, loaves of bread (with the word 'love' baked into it), deep fried chickens wings, turkey drumsticks, plantain and slabs of bbq pork.... they all smelt heavenly. My stomach was beginning to rumble with the wonderful aroma floating by and seeing that it was already about 11 am.... but I managed to resist especially when we were told we were going to make a lunch stop shortly at a seafood restaurant by the beach.

On the Benin side of the border, we had to show our yellow fever vaccination card again as we walked through a make shift container which served as an office. As soon as our visas for Benin (which were obtained in Accra for 60 Ghc) were checked and passports were stamped at the immigration office, we were on our way to Ouidah.

Stalls line the border crossing between Togo and Benin in No Man's land.

Ladies selling bread and it made me smile to see that the word 'Love' had been baked into every loaf : )

They all smelt so good.. bet they are delicious too.

Slabs of pork grilled over an oil drum that had been converted into a bbq

Lunch stop in Grand Popo, Benin

As soon as we crossed the border into Benin, we met up with our guide Boris. I knew he was going to be a good guide when he asked what we wanted for lunch and placed our orders ahead of time. We had a choice of grilled fish or skewered shrimps served with rice, couscous, fries or sphagetti as a side. To end the meal, we were treated to complimentary pineapples grown locally. They were beautifully presented and were deliciously sweet. This whole meal at Saveurs d'Afrique came up to about 4,000 cfa (about US$6.50) per person.

Beautiful setting of the restuarant

Delicious grilled fresh fish with sautéed onions, tomatoes, garlic and chillies.

Skewered prawns looked just as delicious as the fish

Amazingly sweet pineapples cut up and delightfully presented

Lunch wasn't ready when we got to the restaurant, so we had the opportunity to wander around on the beach for about 45min. We were able to check out the catch brought in by the fishermen. As far as I could tell, 3 nets had been hauled in that morning.

Fishermen resting after hours of pulling their nets in.

Cleaning out the net before putting it away, ready for their next fishing run

Ladies waiting for their share of the catch

Lots of unwanted jelly fish tossed out onto the beach from the nets

Girl with her share of the catch for the day

In a separate area, other ladies had sorted out their catch according to size and had divided them out equally into piles.

On to Ouidah

There was definitely a difference in the composition of the traffic compared to Ghana... visibly more motorcycles in Togo and Benin.

It was also tomato season and as we drove through all 3 countries, we saw lots of make shift stalls selling tomatoes. Cars and vans were overloaded with baskets of tomatoes transporting them to various cities.

Overloaded with tomatoes

The Road of No Return

About an hours' drive after leaving Grand Popo, we arrived in Ouidah. We got out of our van and walked the 3.5 km walk along the somber Road of No Return... one taken by slaves many years ago.

This final stretch of the long route taken by slaves is made up of 6 stages. The first is located in front of the house of Don Francisco de Souza, a renown slave trader. Here, slaves were auctioned off to various companies.

Place Chacha, where the slaves were auctioned off

Walking along the last 3.5 km Road of No Return

The second stage of this route is the Tree of Forgetfulness. Here men were made to go around the tree 9 times while women and children went around it 7 times. The purpose of this exercise was to make the slaves forget their names and where they came from. The tree now does not exist anymore but the statue of a mermaid has been erected in it's place.

Prior to being loaded onto ships, slaves were brought to a holding site, the Zomai (place where the light does not shine) which is stage 3 of the route. The slaves were kept in the Zomai for months to simulate conditions on the ships and also to disorientate them and break their spirits. The site has statues showing how slaves were bound and gagged in many instances to restrain and punish the strong and vocal ones as well as to prevent them from escaping.

Example of how slaves were bound and gagged in preparation for the ocean journey

This memorial (stage 4) marks the site of the mass grave where slaves who had not survived the Zomai were buried.

Mosaic memorial about 6 m tall at the mass burial site where those deemed unfit to continue the journey were buried.

Stage 5 of the Route des Esclave is this tree in the Place de Zoungbodji. Here slaves would go around the tree 3 times to ensure their spirits remembered where they came from and would return upon their death.

Slaves would turn 3 times around this tree in Place de Zoungbodji, to help ensure that their spirits would return to their homeland after their death.

The final stage on the route is the Gate or Point of No Return, where slaves were loaded onto ships bound mainly for Brazil and Latin America from Benin.

A memorial located at the Point of No Return, where slaves had been loaded onto ships bound for the New World.

Relaxing after Day 1

That evening, we checked into our hotel, Hotel Diaspora, Benin. Unfortunately, the area around the swimming pool was under renovation, so we were unable to take a dip. Sunset was beautiful along the coast though and after freshening up, we were treated to a delicious seafood buffet.

We tried out the local brew with our delicious meal

Our bedroom in Hotel Diaspora, Benin.

Breakfast of champions

The French occupied Benin (1872 - 1960) for many years and their influence can still be seen with the numerous bistro style restaurants set up along the road. They served us a wonderful breakfast with freshly baked baguettes, omelette and coffee sweetened with condense milk, all for about 1,500 CFA.

Python temple

The Python temple is located directly across the street from the Catholic Basilica. We were told that these royal pythons are well looked after and revered in Ouidah. They represent the element of air in the Voodoo religion. In this temple, there are more than 50 pythons, all well tendered to and are at times allowed to wander around the neighborhood. If they are found in homes, stores or offices, the pythons are returned to the temple unharmed.

After paying an entrance fee of 1,000 CFA (2,000 CFA for cameras) we entered the grounds of the temple. Our guide took us over to a sacred Iroko tree where offerings are made by priests in the presence of the client.

Sacred Iroko tree where offerings are made with priest consultation.

This building houses more than 50 royal pythons.

Mural painted in the python temple

The 2 photos below are examples of the scars resembling the 10 holes on a python's head; 4 scars on the lower cheek, 4 on the cheek bone and 2 on the forehead. These scars are made at birth.

The Sacred Forest of Kpasse

The sacred forest in Ouidah is a highly spiritual place with many mature trees. There was a sense of calm and peacefulness as we walked around the park. We had a guide who showed us around and explained everything to us in detail. Entrance fee here was the same as that of the Python Temple.

In 1992, Voodoo became an official religion in Benin. To promote tourism in Benin, statues of the various Voodoo deities were made and put on display by different artists and sculptors both in the Sacred Forest as well as along the Road of No Return. Every year since 1992, the 10th of January has been declared a public holiday for celebrating the voodoo religion.

Pictures of just a few deities from the Voodoo practice found in the Sacred Forest.

The Sacred Forest is the resting place of the first king of Ouidah, King Kpasse and is believed that the King turned himself into an Iroko tree when he was chased down by his enemies led by King Dahomey. Many locals and foreigners make wishes while touching this tree in the hope that their wishes will come true.

The sacred Iroko tree where wishes are believed to be granted.

The Salt Ponds

Salt production in Benin is traditionally done by women and youths. These salt ponds are located near the ocean where there is a constant supply of ocean water. Piles of muds saturated in salt are piled onto the sides of the baskets and the water drips down a pipe is collected at the bottom of the basket. This salty water is then carried into the thatched building, put over a fire and boiled till all the water has evaporated. What is left then is salt which is harvested and sold.

In the past, wood from the mangrove swamps were collected and used to boil the water for the salt. Over time, this has caused the mangrove swamps to recede and in some areas disappear causing major problems for the fishermen in the area.

The Foundation Zinsou Museum

This contemporary art museum was opened in 2013 in the historical building, Villa Ajavon (built in 1922) located in downtown Ouidah. There is a permanent collection of African art in this museum built up by Fondation Zinsou.

Afro Brazilian style building, Villa Ajavon converted into a contemporary art museum in Ouidah

A few of the wonderful exhibits on display at the museum.

Fell in love with the beautiful café. It was decorated with bright African colored fabric.

Veggie chilli and coucous at the Foundation Zinsou cafe

A visit to the fetish market

To me, this looked just like any other markets except this one had a special section that sold everything a Voodoo priest would need to purchase. Our guide took us over to the fetish section of the market.

The owner of the stall had carcasses from many different animals. Most of they were laying there slowly decomposing. I have to admit the smell at times was overpowering. Hidden in a corner at the back of the stall, they even had live cats and snakes for sale.

Our guide explained to us that everything that was on display had no magical powers ... it wasn't until the priest had blessed them and said his prayers that the items would.

On to Ganvié

Ganvié is a stilted village located on Lake Nokoué inhabited by about 30,000 people from the Tofinu tribe. This area is believed to have been settled around the 17th or 18th century when the Tofinu people were trying to escape from the Fon slave traders from the kingdom of Dohamey. This worked out really well for the Tofinus because the Dohamey tribe members were not allowed to of the water for religious reasons and so by settling on the lake, the Tofinus were safe.

Ganvié is the largest stilted village in Africa and has been on the UNESCO's world heritage list since 1996. To get around the stilted village and to our hotel, we boarded a boat for the 15 min ride out to Ganvié. The cost of renting the whole motorized boat is 20,000 CFA or 7,500 CFA per person. The activity around the long jetty captivated me.

The jetty from which we caught a motorized boat to take us to Ganvié .

Camera shy ladies on their canoes selling food

Ladies catching the wind, heading back to Ganvié

The main source of income for the Tofinus is fishing. As we moved away from the jetty towards Ganvié, we saw that large areas of the lake had been cordoned off to rear fish. We were told that many of the people were very wealthy as a result of this and were able to own houses on land in the nearby towns which they rented out for additional income. This does not stopping them from continuing to live on Lake Nokoué.

Cordoned off area in the distance for fish farming

Dried branches are placed in the fish farm as a form of natural habitat for the fish

As our boat made it's way towards the stilted village of Ganvié, we began to see the houses, shops, schools, churches, mosque and even little huts where goats were kept.

Living on Lake Nokoué

A provision store on Lake Nokoué

Lady selling dried goods like rice, sugar and salt on her boat.

Cute little kid and his family enjoying a relaxing Saturday morning

This area would be equivalent to a market square. Here the ladies fill their boats up with vegetables, fruits and other essentials and would sell them. This lady was not particularly happy we were taking her picture.

Beautiful little girls rowing around selling fruits and snacks.

Neighbors visiting one another.

Visiting one of the homes in Ganvié

We were lucky enough to be invited into one of the stilted homes. The children were waiting on their verandah greeting us.

An area below and on the side of the house has been built up enough to rear chickens

As we went through the village, we could see that there were numerous solar panels being used especially at the water pumps. Even the hotel we were staying at also had installed solar panels.

Spending the night on Lake Nokoué

After a tour of the floating city, our motorized boat took us towards our hotel in Ganvié. I was very happy we were staying overnight on the lake at the MB hotel. This gave us an excellent opportunity to relax and experience what it would be like living on the lake. We were not disappointed and were treated to a beautiful sunset.

No trip is complete without a visit to the local handicraft store. Shopped with did.... my friend Hilde and I bought some beautiful hand dyed indigo fabric.

The talented potter in Se

After leaving Ganvié, we headed towards the town of Se. Here, we visited Marceline who has been working as a potter for many years. She makes her pots the traditional way, ie. without a wheel.

Marceline standing proud

During our demo, she ground up broken pieces of pottery which was used with the wet clay so it wouldn't stick to the board when she kneaded the clay. Once she was happy with the feel of the clay, she laid it on the ground, bent over it and started working the clay by walking around it and molded it either with her bare hands or with a rag. Absolutely beautiful work! What amazed me was how uniform all her final products were ... made perfect after years of practice.

Talented Marceline also transformed a lump of clay into a beautiful bird right in front of our eyes. These are sold as a piggy banks. Unfortunately so she not have any available for us to purchase. It would have made a wonderful momento.

Possotomè on Lake Ahémé

In Possotomè, we stayed in a lake side hotel, Chez Theo. The double rooms were nice and spacious with mosquito nets. We had lunch in one of the stilt cabanas on the lake and found it very relaxing staring out onto the lake watching the fishermen fishing in the distance.

Love the locally hand dyed indigo fabric

Local fishermen out on the lake.

Zangbeto (Night watchmen) ceremony

A short drive away from Chez Theo, we arrived in the mud village in Bopa.

By the time we arrived, most of the villagers were already waiting for us in a clearing and as soon as they saw us, they started beating their drums and bells, and singing. We were about to witness the Zangbeto ceremony.

The first thing we had to do when we got to the site of the ritual was to pay our respects to the local chief. To do this, we had to touch the ground and then our forehead 3 times. We took turns doing this and once that was done, we took our front row seats and waited for the Zangbeto to make their appearance while listening to the drums beating and women singing; and watched dancing.

The whole ritual went on for almost 2 hours and during that time frame, we saw 6 different Zangbetos. These night watchmen traditionally came out at night to patrol the village grounds and to chase away any bad spirits. In this case, they made a special appearance during the day and it was explained to us that this happens occasionally to help the villages celebrate their voodoo belief and to display the power of the Zangbeto.

My friend Hilde showing her respects to the local chief

Men beating the drums and bells throughout the whole ceremony

Villagers were out in full force enjoying themselves.

Boy blessing the ceremonial grounds and men carrying a carving meant to represent the spirit of the Zangbeto

Women and men dancing to the beat of the bells and drum celebrating their belief.

The occupants of the grass structure typically go into a trance when the spirit of the Zangbeto take over their body. These Zangbeto then twirl around, shake and dance around hypnotically with their guides guiding them.

The Zangbeto and it's guides make their appearance.

Magic is perform in the presence of the Zangbeto. Here, nuts are smashed and 80% of them contain jewellery either bracelets or ear rings. These are then distributed to the villagers.

Magic... nuts cracked open and most had ear rings or bracelets in them.

It is interesting to note that a various stage of the performance, the Zangbeto haystack is turned upside down or lifted off the ground showing that there are no humans manipulating the structure and that it is actually the Zangbeto spirit moving it.