DOLAR 32,3680
EURO 34,9842
ALTIN 2.325,98
BIST 9.102,91
Adana Adıyaman Afyon Ağrı Aksaray Amasya Ankara Antalya Ardahan Artvin Aydın Balıkesir Bartın Batman Bayburt Bilecik Bingöl Bitlis Bolu Burdur Bursa Çanakkale Çankırı Çorum Denizli Diyarbakır Düzce Edirne Elazığ Erzincan Erzurum Eskişehir Gaziantep Giresun Gümüşhane Hakkari Hatay Iğdır Isparta İstanbul İzmir K.Maraş Karabük Karaman Kars Kastamonu Kayseri Kırıkkale Kırklareli Kırşehir Kilis Kocaeli Konya Kütahya Malatya Manisa Mardin Mersin Muğla Muş Nevşehir Niğde Ordu Osmaniye Rize Sakarya Samsun Siirt Sinop Sivas Şanlıurfa Şırnak Tekirdağ Tokat Trabzon Tunceli Uşak Van Yalova Yozgat Zonguldak
İstanbul 23°C
Az Bulutlu
İstanbul
23°C
Az Bulutlu
Cts 22°C
Paz 22°C
Pts 24°C
Sal 18°C

Why the ‘Venice of Africa’ should be on your bucket list

03.05.2022
A+
A-

A region of Benin that has been dubbed the ‘Venice of Africa’ is attracting more tourists than ever before.

Ganvie village was built in the middle of Lake Nokoué 400 years ago and its unique history starts in the era of slavery. In the 18th century, the people of the local Tofinu tribe were desperate to escape from the soldiers of the Fon and Dahomey kingdoms who captured people and sold them to Portuguese traders.

The ancestors of today’s residents fled to the lake which was feared by the soldiers who believed a terrible demon lived under its surface. Knowing this, the tribe chose to build their homes on stilts in the middle of the water.

The name of the village pays tribute to this history, Ganvié means ‘we survived’ in the local language.

Florin Iorganda/REUTERSA girl paddles a pirogue in Ganvie, Benin.Florin Iorganda/REUTERS

Despite the fact that they were no longer under threat, people kept living in their lake homes. Over the centuries, Ganvié has grown beyond all recognition.

What is life like in the ‘Venice of Africa’?

Today, there are approximately 30,000 people living in the village – they are known as the ‘watermen’.

“We live by fishing,” says resident Edmon Adissa. “We settled here to escape from slavery. We make our living by fishing.”

Would you stay in this vintage train hanging over a river in South Africa?Beat the crowds in Venice with the best canal cities in Europe

Even today, everything in the village stands on stilts from the beauty bar to markets, hotels, schools, a hospital, businesses and churches. Narrow canoes called pirogue are the only means of transportation.

But tourism has gradually replaced fishing as Ganvie’s main source of revenue. Around 10,000 tourists visit the lake village annually, according to local the tourism office.

Watch the video above to see the ‘Venice of Africa’.

YORUMLAR

Henüz yorum yapılmamış. İlk yorumu yukarıdaki form aracılığıyla siz yapabilirsiniz.