Blogs from Benin, Africa - page 5

It is hard to know the words to choose to begin describing this new adventure of my life, but I guess its just easiest to start at the beginning... So my last week in Montpellier flew past, every day at school with an awesome class of people who became great friends. We had an awesome night on out final thursday, all meeting up for goodbye drinks, lots of laughs and languages around the table (sorry I forgot the cd with the photos on it, they are no longer on my camera, will post them next time). But studpidly of me I was slightly sick and ignored it and then on Easter sat and sun got real sick, the whole head full of snot and throat like sand paper, story.... Not very good considering I was flying ... read more

LET'S MEET BENIN: The country of the amazones, of the historical slave trade, of the children new slaves today, of the voodoo. A journey to meet, understand and share a culture. Also, a bit of adventure! The Africans say: “The world knows very well how people die in Africa, but knows nothing of how people live there”. With this journey, we would like to repair a historical and cultural injustice that makes the economic injustice even worse. The drums boom unrelently, dancers and young adepts staring at nothing out of fatigue, tribal kings with their courts of wives and dignitaries receiving honors from the natives. It is not a film on Africa but the Voodoo festival that takes place every year on the beach of Ouidah. Not just touristic folklore, but a real religious feast. Likewise, ... read more

FORTUNE’ (a new angel) Notes from the last journey to Benin Sometimes, during our journeys of responsible tourism one may encounter human dramas that lacerate our hearts and imprint images in our minds, that will stay for a long time. All facts and people are real. Our holiday in Benin was over. Pierre and Elodie, the two young French that we left in the north of the country, would be back in Ouidah in one day. I thought, possibly, there would be some time to show them Ganvie, the lagoon city. Therese, my Beninese wife, SORROWwas preoccupied. “Do you remember that young girl that we met in that village up in the north? Just 14 years old, she's pregnant. Once the child will be made, she will be expelled from the village. I fear both for ... read more

I never expected to eat a chicken head, but as I studied the bone structure of my meal in the twilight of the 2nd of January, 2008, I discovered that chicken-head meat is pleasant. I refrained from gnawing on the eye sockets, but everything else went down well. Since December 25th, 2007, I have more often than not only needed to eat every other day, finished with a cup of coffee for digestion while sitting in a pagne for a bathrobe as waistline relief. On Christmas Day I visited my host family. I was greeted as warmly as ever, given the customary water to drink, and then began eating. Oh, and such good foods- Santa Claus-belly-sized pots of rice with well-spiced sauces and goat meat, beans and fresh bread, and salad with a homemade mayonnaise dressing, ... read more

When I was a little kid I spent a lot of time playing in the dirt. I eventually had a backboard to shoot hoops, but it was on our gravel driveway; to this day I can make a basket like an ace but I dribble like my only fingers are left-hand thumbs- though not said to be ungrateful, Dad. I was able to make do up to a point, but I only really learned the game of basketball when I joined the junior high basketball team and had instruction and a flat surface. The local basketball teams here are in a similar position as I was as a beginning basketball player. We have made-do with what we have, but have reached the point that to really improve the game, we need better equipment. For more ... read more