The jungle is reflected on the mirror surface of the Black River of Adjarra. The boat glides silently between the palm trees as the daylight fades. The silence is total. The quiet, exquisite. Isaac, my guide, promised me amazement as soon as I set foot on Beninese soil. I am convinced.
Updated yesterday at 11:30 am.
Aurélie Resch Special collaboration
Located between Togo and Nigeria, Benin is a French-speaking country in West Africa that is still little known to tourists. A godsend for those like me who like peace and quiet and prefer meeting people. The Black River, which takes its name from the leaves that have fallen to the bottom of the water and the earth that mixes with it, takes me to a village where I learn how to make raffia palm wine and oil. Palm (a beautiful red). color, it replaces animal fat in Beninese cuisine). I admire the women's skill in weaving raffia baskets. I stop to chat for a moment with a painter and sculptor who is converting the land where his paintings dry into an art center.
THE PRESS
I decided to take my time with this first discovery of the country. Also, I will be staying south for this trip. Cotonou, Ganvié, Dassa-Zoumé, then downhill, Abomey and Ouidah. Sometimes I venture off the road to explore villages and towns accessible by boat.
PHOTO AURÉLIE RESCH, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
In the lakeside town of Ganvié, residents commute by rowing or sailing to sell their products at the market and bring back groceries.
I felt the support of a leader was necessary. I chose Isaac Abissi and his local agency Voyages Modestes. Many encounters and discoveries were only known to him or to initiated locals. Without a guide I would have missed a lot.
PHOTO AURÉLIE RESCH, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
A woman makes a basket out of raffia.
Driving (especially after the rainy season) can be very complicated. Knowing which other path to take and how to maneuver on rutted paths is definitely an advantage.
Benin in art
ARÉLIE RESCH, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Work by Beninese artist Dominique Zinkpè in the Unik Museum in Abomey
There are many artists and entrepreneurs in the country and I will have many opportunities to admire works on rock, stone, wood, clay, textiles or skin and to see development projects emerging. This impromptu thread offers me a face of Benin that is both traditional and surprisingly modern.
Adjarra is known as the city of drums and the air rustles with the rhythms that the men beat on their homemade djembe. In the evening I spend the night at the Ouadada art and culture center. The atmosphere is peaceful and the works on display are atypical. In the inner courtyard we let ourselves be convinced by the joy of creating, composing and dancing.
AURÉLIE RESCH, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Voodoo temple in Abomey
In the village of Abegui in the municipality of Pobé, women have created true works of art on their bodies. Uniquely designed tattoos cover her stomach and are a sign of seduction, just like the pearls that surround her body. I find these ornaments on the huge frescoes near the Place de l'Amazone in Cotonou, depicting Beninese women wearing or assembling them. I observe them on young Fulani girls in a Wodaabe camp. Beads are sold in the colorful and lively markets I visit on my way to Dassa-Zoumé. They are expertly threaded to create bright and original necklaces like the one offered to me by a young designer on Grand Popo beach.
AURÉLIE RESCH, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Rwanda Genocide Memorial with an array of rusty machetes at the Unik Museum, Abomey
Jewelry, loincloths, braids and headgear adorn the women. A farmer, an entrepreneur, an artist who walks with a glass on her head or with a baby on her back, makes pottery or runs a restaurant with a smile on her face, the Benin woman is flirtatious and elegant.
Other works mark my trip to the south of Benin: the paintings of temples dedicated to the voodoo culture, the sculptures and paintings of the Unik Museum near Abomey, the masks worn during rituals such as All Souls' Day, the I was able to witness , in the rock work of the artist Okuta, embodied in monuments dedicated to the slaves taken to the West Indies in Ouida, in the music that Isaac listens to at the wheel of the car that takes me to where he alone can His country knows its intimate treasures.
If the people of Benin fascinate me with their creativity, their history and their friendliness, the nature of Benin also seems to me to be a timeless masterpiece. The red of its land contrasting with the emerald of its dense forests, the cotton clouds reflected in the surface of the lagoons, the anthracite stones shaped and pierced by the rain in the hills of Dassa-Zoumey, the colorful wildflowers that vibrant colors that shimmer under the sun's rays, the juicy fruits with their breathtaking scent, the singing of the birds, the ballet of the canoes on Lake Nokoué in the lakeside town of Ganvié… So many assets that make me promise to come back Benin to explore the center and north of the country.
Know it before you go
PHOTO AURÉLIE RESCH, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Stones worked by the rain at Dassa-Zoume
Getting there: The airlines Air France, Royal Air Maroc and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offer flights (with stopovers) between Montreal and Cotonou.
Formalities and health: Yellow fever vaccination compulsory, malaria treatment strongly recommended, entry visa (available online), valid passport.
When to travel to Benin: It's best to avoid the rainy season and travel between November and the end of April.