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Benin Travel Blogs

Background: Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.

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By Erika
August 18th 2006

Concours: Villages Propres et Reboises Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Awards

I like sleeping until 7h. That’s about the time the bedroom starts getting warm, the neighbors play music, and I have to pee. After two months, I have returned to that practice, except for those mornings I get up earlier to run. It’s not that for those two months I slept until 8h, oh no; for two months I was on my bike by 6h15 to go to work with Florent and Patrice, the two others at As.P.E.L. with whom I conducted the project “Competition: Cleanest and Greenest City.” This was quite the project. I committed myself to be in Athieme [View Full Entry]

By Erika
August 2nd 2006

Pardon Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Mosquito Killer

I’m sorry. My parents told me I have been neglecting my writing. That’s not entirely true, because I have been writing but not publishing. I am writing while sitting in my mosquito net. The mosquitoes are awful. Imagine the sound of an overhead airplane, then equate that sound to mosquitoes, and marvel at the magnificent simplicity and efficiency of mosquito nets. If by accident you imagined a hovering helicopter instead of the airplane, add a flying cockroach to the scene and pray in thanksgiving to all the gods you know for strong mosquito netting. My mom called me last [View Full Entry]

By le_flow
August 2nd 2006

Who do Voodoo? Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Voodoo

Crossing the border from Ghana into Togo felt like getting back to genuine Africa. Away from modern conveniences and into overcrowded bush-taxis, driving like there’s no tomorrow (which more than once got close to true). We had entered the hilly Danyi Plateau and were travelling on twisting roads through jungle-covered hills, to get to the Benedictine monastery outside the small village of Dzogbégan. The monks at the monastery are famous for their huge orchard, attracting people from faraway to come and enjoy their produce. Things like carambola-jam, home-proce [View Full Entry]

By Erika
June 9th 2006

Strong Winds=Fast Closing Doors=Tailess Lizards Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Goats

I think pin-tailed whydahs are great squeaky toys, and every cat should have one. With its cute orange-red beak and fluttery long tail feathers, it’d be a lot of fun to play with. Derique doesn’t think so, but I am amused. Derique’s favorite bird is the helmeted guinea fowl; because of this his new name is Derique Havoc (get it? Der-wreak Havoc. It’s my best dad-joke so far.) One morning a few days past, I was home early from work due to rain the night before that made us change plans. After my bath and while sucking on oranges on the [View Full Entry]

By Erika
June 9th 2006

The Grapes (and Corn and Cake) of Wrath Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Cake

I have been reading “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. I really like it. I like it so much that I have to write about it, but that means no longer reading it. I waited and satisfied two needs at once: eating and writing. Sweet and sour cabbage- not too bad. The first paragraph is what got me- “Chop a head of cabbage and an apple. Add one chopped onion and some garlic. Cook in water until the cabbage is tender…” Ooops, I mean, “To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came [View Full Entry]

By MiVi
June 3rd 2006

Benin and Ghana Africa » Benin

Bank of Africa ;)

My first trip to Africa and I was really excited. It turned out that Benin was not really the Africa that I had pictured. The wildlife wasn't what I had naively exspected and the city was no way near what i had pictured in my head. Cotonou was a big, big city! I don't really know what had thought it would be like, but it was a big surprise to see how it was. Theres not really much to see in the city, the main attraction must have been the port of no return. But it was indeed a bit weird [View Full Entry]

By tamaffa
May 22nd 2006

looks like i'm also the first person to write from Cotonou? Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

i wanted the title of this entry to be "poop-free beach" but i was too excited to boast my "first" so me and yuss crossed another border in a non-airconditioned bus with the sea twinkling in and out of view just to our right (had to think about that direction just now) the voyage was about three hours not counting the beauracracy at the border. and so now we are in cotonou which seems like the capital but is not; porto novo is. our hotel is handily ringed with internet cafés, so even if our side of the street and the [View Full Entry]

By Erika
May 9th 2006

Mayday Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Training Day

No, that’s not a type-o; the first of May in Athieme was almost cause to send out that message. It actually started the day before. May 1st is the Beninese Labor Day, so to correctly celebrate the holiday, I drank beer the night before. While I was at the buvette with friends, I learned that Elisabeth’s father had died, barely a week after I had seen him to ask permission for Elisabeth to travel with me to Porto Novo. This news unsettled me, to say the least. My first typical-Erika reaction was to think the worst, and that I would never [View Full Entry]

By Erika
April 25th 2006

Life Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Elisabeth et Moi

I am sitting on my porch at the moment, enjoying the breeze and a book, and watching Senegal Fire Finches and Green-Throated Sunbirds. The sunbirds are so glossy, iridescent, and like to fly between the neem trees and the trees I think are called Luceana. The finches’ movements remind me of watching myself dance in a strobe light, how in that fraction of darkness, I miss a part of my dance move. Watching the finches is similar to that; blip, blip, blip, like they are too fast for my eye to catch all of the movement. Doves are trash birds, even [View Full Entry]

By Erika
April 25th 2006

This Trip to Cotonou Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Mes Freres

This last trip to Cotonou was much more enjoyable than any previous. I left Athieme the Tuesday before Easter to visit family in Aplahoue until Wednesday, when I went to the All-Volunteer conference in Cotonou. The 24 hours with Family Asse did not do a very good job of filling the space between then and Christmas, but I told them I would be better about going to visit. I figured on two-three hours of travel to get to Cotonou by stop-and-go taxi from Aplahoue, so I planned on leaving by 15h. I anticipated my family’s reaction, so when asked, I said [View Full Entry]

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