Ganvie on Lake Nokoué

The year is 1717. 

What is left of the Tofinu tribe is being chased by the mighty Fon tribe, part of the Kingdom of Dahomey. All captors will be taken to the coastal town of Ouidah, where they will be sold to the Portuguese. Then they will become part of the massive West African slave trade. While running from the Fon tribe, they run into large, brackish Lake Nokoué that they cannot see across or around. 

Lake Nokoue, looking east (CJ)

Trapped. They pray to the gods of the lake in desperation. Out of the lake comes a giant crocodile, which carries the tribe to the safety of the lake. They know that the Fon warriors' religion forbids them from fighting on the water – so they are safe as long as they stay on the lake. 

Today, with a population between 20,000 and 30,000, Ganvie is the largest lake village in Africa. Originally built entirely on stilts, the town has a post office, bank, hospital and more. 

Mosque and, in the distance right, top half of statue of the founder of Ganvie. (CJ)

The town has imported soil for the school (think soccer field), and cemetery. 

School buildings of Ganvie

The cemetery is the only spot in the village that was built high enough to never flood. As we floated the “roads” of the village, we also noticed that some of the houses have built small dirt areas for chickens, sheep, growing maize, etc. 

These people had a garden growing behind the house. (CJ)

Shade trees? (CJ)

The closest city on the banks of the lake is 8 km away. That’s a 30 minute ride in a boat with a motor, and an hour with a sail. Rowing/poling across will take longer. That means that EVERYTHING must happen in the village. All of the daily activities people do get accomplished on the water. 

Floating market (CJ)

 

Looks like a mini-mart (CJ)

How about some flip-flops? (CJ)

 

Or some handbags! We saw many women wear big, straw hats like this woman here. Need to find shade somehow!

At some point, they did sink a deep well to provide fresh water. 

People lining up to fill containers with potable water. (CJ)

Fill 'er up! (CJ)

Children as young as 6 or 7 were paddling/poling boats expertly. Can’t walk or ride your bike to your friend’s house, can you? It seems that 9-10 year old boys learn to throw fishing nets while managing a boat. 

Ready, set . . . (CJ)

 

Throw! (CJ)

Hungry? Hang on, here comes a deli boat, complete with BBQ grill.   

I wonder what she's cooking! (CJ)

Keep in mind though, a lake village with no sewage system might not be picturesque; we did not see the children swimming.

Although many call Ganvie the Venice of Africa, we never saw a cute deli to have espresso. Benin is one of the poorest countries in the world. This is certainly true in Ganvie. Although many of the children smiled and waved, too many of them asked for money, some persistently. We were happy to eat lunch at one of the restaurants in the Village. 

At the restaurant, waiting for our meal of local carp with tomato sauce and rice. (CJ)

We also gladly made a purchase from a local artisan who personally produced his work.

 

Safety!

Chez Raphael, another restaurant and curio shop. (CJ)

See the chicken just to the left of the cage? She decided to hop onto our boat as we went by. (CJ)

So, we turned around and took her back. Everyone was laughing! (CJ)

Lake Nokoué isn’t really a lake. It is a wide spot in the brackish lagoon that parallels the coastline throughout Benin. There are only a few natural connections to the ocean, though the French dug a canal to the coast, through the town of Cotonou, in the mid-19^th century. This development caused Cotonou to be the important city of 2 million people it is now. For the right price, the boat driver could have delivered us to Nigeria or Togo on the same waterway.

 

On our ride back to the car park, the wind had picked up. Those returning from the "mainland" put up any matter of sail to take advantage of the wind. Many people didn't want their picture taken. You might notice that in some of the photos.

(CJ)

(CJ)

(CJ)

(CJ)

(CJ)

Casting a big net! (CJ)

In 1996, Ganvie was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. This designation makes Ganvie one of the most popular tourist sites in the country. Although, the day we went, we only saw 3 or 4 other tour boats. It is our hope that the people of Ganvie maintain a healthy balance of necessary tourism dollars while maintaining their unique history and culture.

We really enjoyed visiting this extraordinary place with our colleagues, Debbie and Craig Johnston. Thanks for sharing your photos, Craig!