Ganvie and Ketou

 Saturday, February 22,  Ganvie, Benin

 This morning we drove about an hour out of Cotonou to Lake Nokoue which is a wide, slow moving part of the Nokoue River.  What’s special here is a village of 30,000 people on stilts, which dates from the time that there was a sanctuary tradition that people were not taken to be sold as slaves if they were on this water.  The village persists, as the old traditions and habits are solidified over time and by the spirits.

 On the way out of town we passed a huge, long seawall which has been adorned by murals representing the history and traditions of Benin.  We stopped at a portion of the wall which represents some aspects of Voodoo.  Here is a woman pouring water out of a gourd to attract the spirits.

 

These women are adorned with voodoo clothing:

 And this is a voodoo priest: 

Here’s a representation of modern Amazons: 

We arrived at a very busy wharf from which we took a boat to the village: 

People were bringing in freshly caught fish: 

As we set out we saw people fishing: 

Some of the canoes were dugouts, some were crafted, and some had homemade sails: 

We arrived at the town of Ganvie, built entirely on stilts:

There are taxis to take you where you need to go: 

Here’s the local market/bar/hotel: 

And the local pharmacy: 

There are entertainers who earn tips by performing for the boats of people (locals).  We are almost the only tourists here. 

A string of family boats came by with the family members wearing white.  We were told this is a funeral for an old person (thus the white).  Old was not defined.

We stopped for a cold drink at a local store where some artwork was for sale.  Prominent in the courtyard were voodoo spirit dolls, ready for the next ceremony. 

We returned to the wharf and began our 5-hour drive to Ketou.  We were warned that the hotel in Ketou is “basic” with unreliable internet.  In fact, electricity is unreliable.  And also, water pressure is unreliable.  We were told to keep our flashlights handy, and if we turn on the water and nothing comes out, to wait.

 On the way to our hotel in Ketou it began to rain and there was a monster thunderstorm.  It almost ended, and we stopped at the Royal Palace of the Yoruba.  We learned about the five Yoruba sects, and most importantly about the selection of a new ruler after the king dies.  So much to learn—but the king is not spoken of as dying, he has gone somewhere else.  The elders (who are not necessarily old, but rather the most knowledgeable) meet and choose a new king who then has the better part of a year to learn the secrets and the functions of his job.  All of this is suffused with spirit life, far more than I can report here.

Here's the palace entrance:

We met with some of the Yoruba elders who advise the king: 

And we were able to see his throne: 

We then drove to our hotel as the heavy rain began again.  It is, indeed, very basic.  Our tour company had sent goodie bags with a towel, soap and shampoo for us.  The hallways are dark, and are leaking rainwater onto the floor.  There is AC and very slow internet.  I’ll see if I can get this post to go.

 More when I can!