Ganvie in Benin is certainly worth visiting. The floating city is home to 30,000 people whose bamboo houses rest only on stilts. People have lived here for several centuries and have no intention of moving.
Ganvie is very often dubbed ‚ the Venice of Africa‘. This unique city is built completely on water, with the exception of a school, which is the only building set on dry land. Generations of Tofinu people have lived in simple bamboo houses on stilts and fully rely on the Nokoue Lake. The only possible means of transport, or leaving one’s house as a matter of fact, is simple wooden boats cut out of tree trunks.
Historians are not sure about the exact date when the Tofinu people decided to build their homes on the Nokoue Lake, however, it is estimated they settled here sometime in the 1700s. Because the tribe had been threatened by an enemy tribe Dom-Homey and were in constant danger of enslavement, the chief came up with a plan. The Dom-Homey believed a water demon lived in the lake and feared it. This made the lake a safe haven for the Tofinu and they fully adapted to life on water.
Local families function more like basic economic units, where marriages are pre-arranged; most husbands fish and subsequently sell their catch to their wives who then try to sell the fish on. It is only the women who are responsible for looking after the children and providing food for their husbands.
While Ganvie is a true spectacle hard to find anywhere else on the planet, tourists should realize this part of the world is timeless. Things have not changed much for generations and the concept of tourism means nothing to locals. The lake is massively polluted and tourists may not be treated with full respect either. On the other hand, Ganvie is a proof of a man‘s will to live; in fact, Ganvie actually means ‘we survived‘ and is truly worth a visit.
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Nzulezo (John Haigh from United Kingdom)
In Ghana in the far west there is Nzulezo, another stilt village. You can go to Beyin and then take a dugout canoe to visit it. When i first visited twenty years ago, you had to send a messenger to the chief asking for permission to visit, and await a reply, which could take several days! But a cheeky teenage boy said he'd take me straight away. When we got there the boy was made to sit in the village meeting place - all this on a platform of bamboo over the water - while they called a court of elders together to decide his punishment. And as this too could take days, someone was delegated to take me back to dry land. A great trip. More about travelling in Ghana on my web site at www.fiema.com including the cycling tour where we visit Nzulezo.
(Delia from USA)
The people of Ganvie are ABSOLUTELY aware of tourists, and the village certainly isn't unique. It is one of the few real turisty areas of Benin, and several other stilt villages exist, but they are far less touristy. In fact, the "only way to get there" if you're not a local is by a rickety (ours took on water the whole time, and we almost sank) wooden boat driven by a local, who will bring you to the shops of all their friends and relatives. Locals are absolutely affected by the tourism. Children will scream in French, giving the finger and calling tourists whores. That is, unless you give them some money. Children will swarm tourists, demanding gifts and money, and offering to be photoed naked, for a price.