I am Visiting all 54 African Countries Without Flying: Benin Republic

Part 2. Bénin Republic

I entered Bénin Republic through the Semé Border from Badagry. You can get to seme in different ways but since I knew the terrain I went in the most affordable way. From Mile 2 in Lagos to Seme is 5000 naira by a straight car but if you break the journey into 2 or 3 you spend only 2 or 3000 naira. My journey Began with a tragedy, not too far from the Red cross Offices. Right in my front ,There was a fatal accident involving a tricycle and a young boy of five years old or so. The air was rent with cries of pain and sadness by onlookers. If I were superstitious , I’ll have ended the journey right there.

In reality I spent two days in Badagry while trying to clear up a few outstanding issues in Nigeria, but at the end I got tired and moved on without rounding up. At badagry, I visited or rather re visited the slave museums and the First story building in Nigeria. I was not able to completely fix my Bank issues so I left Nigeria on April 18 for Benin Republic. It’s rather easy to visit Benin Republic, it’s visa free for ECOWAS countries and when you cross the Border at seme, there is a park that takes you to different parts of Benin , including Cotonou. While waiting for my car to get full, I interviewed a Nigerian man who lived in Bénin. He told me that in his opinion , Bénin people were very fetish and dangerous. He also said they don’t like wearing shirts. I must note that different people have their own perspective but in my opinion every country has both good and bad people, and I was treated very nicely in Benin. I took a car to Cotonou ( 1500 Francs) and bought some lovely street food at night – Bread with a filling of Mayonnaise, spaghetti, beans , egg and vegetables all together. Welcome to Francophone Africa

My Host at Bénin was a friend of a Friend who lived in a House on the water. In coastal areas of Africa it’s not uncommon to see settlements on the water, held up by bamboo stilts.

Overview of Bénin Republic
Bénin is the home of Voodoo not just in Africa but worldwide. The average Beninois believes in and practices the African Traditional religion, often times along with Christianity or Islam.

The second most common indigenous language is Yoruba. The most common indigenous language is Fon spoken all across Southern Bénin Republic

Nigerians in Bénin are often traders, predominantly Igbo. In Natitingou, a city in Northern Bénin, Nigerians are referred to as Igbos generally speaking

Prices are on average two times more expensive in Bénin. What that means is that the average Item that costs 1000 in Nigeria costs 2000 in Bénin.
Some things are cheaper. Rice is smuggled across the Border and Nigerian Fuel is smuggled in the other direction.

Places to see in Bénin Republic
-Cotonou: The old capital and largest city . Cotonou is the Lagos of Bénin and has attractions such as the Largest Graffiti wall in Africa. The Dantokpa Market has one of the world’s largest collection of Fetish Items

-Ouidah : An old coastal city which was a former slave trade port. Slaves were brought from the interior of Bénin and kept in Ouidah until it was time to be transported. Ouidah is a major Tourism center because of its History and Traditions . Some Tourist attractions in Ouidah are

1 The Python Temple: where Locals interact freely with Harmless snakes. It costs 3000cfas to enter and take pictures

2 The point of no return and the slave route which trace the journey of slaves to the ships carrying them to the new world

3 The sacred Forest of King Kpasse, an outdoor museum of sorts and tour experience
There’s also the Zinzou Foundation museum which was under renovation when I went

-Ganvie : called the Venice of Africa because of it’s floating villages. It is the largest floating settlement in Africa – people live on the water there. They go to school, pray, cook and entertain themselves all on the water.

-Natitingou : A city in Northern Benin near the border with Togo. One can visit the marvelous two story Hut buildings called Tata Sombas from there. The tata Sombas are Houses of the Somba people constructed with traditional architecture and are a Unesco heritage site

Parakou : One of the largest cities in Benin. -Parakou is the home of several northern Bénin tribes including fulanis

Béninoise Cuisine is a mixture of Francophone and other west African influences
There are plantains, eba jollof ( similar to Garri Fotor of Ghana), different soups and sauces, fufu and bread

It should be noted that Internet Data in Bénin is very expensive. One gigabyte costs about 3 dollars.

In the next Article I will explain how to make a Typical Béninoise Dish and also dive into the Fetish culture of Benin