The Venice of Africa
by Vennisa Owusu-Barfi
The Ganvié (or Ganvie) stands out as a peculiar site near the southern shores of Benin in West Africa. With its floating stilts and never-ending stream of canoes navigating its narrow water alleys, it boldly emulates its moniker as the ‘Venice of Africa’. 1
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However, comparisons to the Italian city of Venice robs the Ganvie Lake Village and its almost 20,000 inhabitants of its extensive 500-year-old history buried as deep as its very foundations in the water.
Historical COntext
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At the height of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in 16th century Benin, the Fon people (a distinct warrior ethnic group in Benin), sought to capture other neighboring groups as hostages to Portuguese slave traders. The Tofinu people, fearing capture, evaded the Fon by building The Ganvie.
Though its construction on a lake made it increasingly difficult to raid, the Fon were primarily unable to invade due to religious beliefs restricting attacking groups of people dwelling on water.2 Over time, the Ganvie developed into a haven for other ethnic groups in Benin and developed into a culturally distinct melting pot that stands today.
Travel and Tourism
A 50-minute drive from the city center of Cotonou in Southern Benin is all you need to visit this spectacular village. With only the local school situated on land, navigating the Ganvie can only be achieved by boat providing an extremely unique touristic experience. As Africa’s largest lake village, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List (1996) in the Cultural category to highlight its historical importance in African history.3 Often referred to as the water men, the Ganvie people primarily survive on fishing, fish farming and even the use of domesticated animals feeding on grass grown on the water.
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Though other water villages exist in other parts of the world, including the Nzulezo in Ghana,4 The Ganvie stands as a unique and hidden tourist gem in Africa as well as serving as a historical marker of a peoples’ attempt to resist enslavement in one of the darkest moments of West African history.
Sources:
Misachi, John. “Ganvie, Benin - Unique Places around the World.” WorldAtlas, WorldAtlas, 3 Aug. 2017, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ganvie-benin-unique-places-around-the-world.html.
Salaudeen, Aisha, and Rachel Wood. “Ghana's Floating Village Is Trying to Balance Its Ancient Traditions in a Modern World.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 May 2019, https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/nzulezo-ghana-stilt-village-intl/index.html#:~:text=Built%20over%20the%20Lake%20Tandane,symbiosis%20of%20people%20and%20Earth.
Ugc. “Ganvie Lake Village.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 28 Nov. 2011, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gavie-benin.