|
Martine
with the king of Ouidah.
The
Pyton temple is around 500 years old…
…and
the Cathedral is across the street.
Martine
in the Pyton temple, outside the house of the snakes.
A
student lets her friends take pictures of her with
a Pyton snake around her neck. |
Ouidah We have already mentioned the historic city of Ouidah on our page on slavery and if you get the chance you can read much more in Martine’s book. Ouidah, situated about 40 minutes drive west of Cotonou is probably both the historically and culturally most important city of Benin. It is also Martine’s home city, and the city of Benin’s most famous international artist, Angelique Kidjo. Ouidah was the major slave port in Benin, and had five fortresses, among which only one is still there today: The Portuguese slave fort which today hosts the history museum. The rout of the slaves from the city center and the 4 kilometers down to the beach is a shocking testimony of a horrifying past. Beyond that, Ouidah also has a special place in the culture of Vodoun. The Pyton Temple of Ouidah is almost 500 years old, and the sacred Pyton snakes are cultivated in their own house on the temple compound. Quite typical for the country, the Cathedral lays right across the streets, reflecting the quite obvious fact that many Beninese Christians also maintain their Vodoun traditions. Also in Ouidah you find a colony of returned Afro-Brazilians, and there are two Brazilian quarters in the city called the Brezil and the Maro. The market of Maro is only open at night, and that is also the meaning of the name; Maro. The habit of organizing night markets was brought from Brazil, where the slaves on the plantations had to serve their masters during daytime, and therefore only had the night to carry out their own activities. You may have noticed that Martine’s own name sounds suspiciously Portuguese. The De Souza family stem from a historic personality, Francisco Felix de Souza, who was not only a pirate, but also the first white viceroy of the kingdom of Dahomey, and a personal friend of King Ghezo. Behind the Moro market we also find a Mosque, and the Holly temple of Vodoun, again the two places for worship are located very close to each other. Indicators of syncretism are in other words found throughout the city. Ouidah has three hotels of fairly good standard; Hotel Gbena, Hotel Oasis, and DK Hotel. There are also some motels and various restaurants and bars. |
Fact Sheet
| Maps and Distances | History | Shopping | Vodoun | Slavery | Proverbs
Porto Novo
| Cotonou | Ouidah | Ganvie | Abomey | Grand Popo | The North