The Lion King | 21
Country Focus
Bordeaux, Nantes and other top French
and European cities. Built on the verge
of Ouidah’s beach, it represents the
point of shipment of slaves.
The lacustrine village of
Ganvié
Ganvié is a lake village in Benin, where
the houses are constructed on pillars
of about ten metres from the surface
of the lagoon. It has a population of
15,000 inhabitants that is well-organised
with all aspects of life taking place on
water.
The lacustrine village of Ganvié presents
a lot of interesting sites such as restau-
rants, bars, bungalows, coffee bars and
even hotels all entirely on water. It is
usual in Ganvie to see canoes filled with
various foods cross the village selling to
the inhabitants.
Palace of Honmè
Porto-Novo, the administrative and
cultural capital of Benin, is home to the
Honmè museum, often referred to as
the “Palais-Royal”. It used to be the
residence of King Toffa, the first king
to have signed a friendship treaty with
France.
The kingdom of Benin was one of the
most enduring in West Africa. It ended
in 1976, following a disagreement over
succession. The museum displays life
in the royal court during the 19th and
early 20th century. The collections are
full of photos showing King Toffa, in his
regal bearing. It offers visitors an insight
on how African royalty lived barely half
a century ago!
The temple of the Ouidah
pythons
In 1717, after a fratricidal war between
the kingdom of Danxome and that of
Houeda, the defeated king of Ouidah
fled into the forest to escape the warri-
ors who pursued him. In the forest, he
was said to have been protected by
pythons that attacked the mercenaries
of Danxome kingdom.
In honour of the pythons, he built the
temple of Ouidah in the forest. The
temple is inhabited by pythons of all
sizes, winding loose on the aisles. Every
seven years, there is a celebration at
the temple in a big ceremony of purifi-
cation. The goal of this ceremony is to
exorcise evil spirit and to bring peace
and prosperity to the village.
A ceremony at the Palace of King
Agonglo of Abomey Kingdom. The Royal
Palaces of Abomey are 12 palaces spread
over a 40 hectares area at the heart of
the Abomey town in Benin, formerly the
capital of the West African Kingdom of
Dahomey.
Photo: Office of Tourism, Benin Republic
