Ganvie

For Mother’s Day I received a gorgeous turquoise stone necklace. I have long admired this type of stone that is readily available all over Africa. It was only twelve bucks but the best part of the story is where I found it! I found this lovely creation at a “souvenir shop” on water in Africa’s largest stilt village, Ganvie, in Benin, West Africa! Now you cannot say I do not go to the ends of the earth to source my eclectic collection of souvenirs.

I had been desperate to go to Ganvie for ages but time ticked away and before I knew it the end of the field service was looming and I still had not visited the mysterious Ganvie. But I was determined not to leave Benin without visiting this unique water village, Africa’s largest slit water village, lying in Lake Nokoue, with a population of over 20,000. The village was established in the 1700’s by the Kings of Dahomey (Benin).

From the moment we began cruising down the river towards the village, a three hour rerun trip, I was captivated. The sights, sounds and smells overwhelming my senses. Everywhere I turned there was something to see, sometimes captivating, sometimes sad and sometimes just downright curious. We saw the extent of the poverty seeping into the river where people bathe, wash their clothes and defecate, without regard.

We passed dozens of fish farms, one of the main sources of livelihood in Cotonou and a staple in the West African diet. Withered old men and young boys alike were diving into the water and casting out nets under the shimmering sun.  Taxi canoes strained under the weight of their heavy load carrying people swathed in vibrant colours, to and fro up and down the vein of the city.

The market hummed, almost alive selling everything from phones to fabric, pineapples to plasticware. Everything you never knew you really needed. Garbage littered the banks of the river and the smell wafted towards our boat melding with the humidity.

The village itself loomed out of nowhere as the water became shallower and colourful wooden buildings rose on slits from the murky depths. Children laughed and played inside canoes while their mammas did a trade, one canoe to another. Churches, a mosque, schools, health clinics, shops and even a hotel somehow balanced on water. The locals went about their business mostly ignoring the tourists gawking at this impossibility of over 20,000 people conducting their entire lives on water. Some glared our way as we raised our camera lenses while other gave a friendly wave and posed.

Surprisingly our boat tour passed by several souvenir shops, a coincidence I am sure of. J  Beautiful, colourful jewellery, beaded maracas, drums, carvings of all manner of things, wooden pipes, cars made out of coke cans, stunning paintings and woven baskets called for our attention. That’s when I spotted it……my turquoise stone necklace.

Please enjoy this photographic journey of our trip to Ganvie………

Me in our boat on the Lake Nokoue.

Lake taxis outside Marche Dantokpa.

Baskets of fish.

Lovely colourful ladies going about their business!

Launching fishing nets from a canoe.
(P.C Christoph Nerz)

Solitude.

Fishing.

Gathering plant life to help with trapping the fish.

Taxi canoe with a cover!

Lots of fishing going on here. Patiently waiting.

Behold Ganvie and it's beautiful reflections.

(P.C Justine Forrest)

Great balance!

Kids having fun the way you do when you live on water!
(P.C Above and below, Christoph Nerz )

Fruit and veg shopping the slit village way!
(P.C Justine Forrest)

Little girl, big muscles!

The washing still needs to be done.

Vibrant colours.
(P.C Christoph Nerz)

Shoe shopping.

Neighborhood gossip.
(P.C. Justine Forrest)

More washing.

Friendly greetings.

The beautiful African fabric such a contrast to the drab surroundings.

One of my favourite pics!

A little more reflection.

Young men making their way around.

Stocked up with wares to sell.

You can't go anywhere without encountering a gift shop these days, right? A stilt village in Cotonou, Benin was no exception! As our guide tried to take us to our third "souvenir shop" we told him no more! :) Above you can spot my lovely tourquoise beads, in the back of the photo.

A classic African percussion instrument, the shaker!

When I go bored of the souvenirs I went and had a chat to this friendly local, Raphael who spoke a little English.

Our humble, but motorized, transportation for three hours.

Our group.

“….Ganvie seems to be nothing short of an organic creation – a town where nature went a little off the rails and the reeds and weeds just grew up into houses, shops and a marketplace……the locals eat on water, sleep on water and work and play on water.”

(Benin Bradt Guide)