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The small nation of Benin, once known as Dahomey, is best known for slaves and voodoo. Benin was once the heart of the slave trade in West Africa, and it was also the birthplace of the animistic religion that was shipped abroad along with its enslaved practitioners.

These days, there's little left of the great Dahomey empire, of which Benin was the center. The royal palace in Abomey, although interesting to visit, is only a remnant of what was once one of the grandest structures in all of West Africa. But the practice of vodou, as it's known in Benin, is as strong as ever. And these days, it's one of the country's top cultural attractions. You can visit a museum to learn about vodou's past—or visit a market and buy a fetish from a current practitioner.

Benin has other attractions as well that can work a spell on visitors: the fishing villages on stilts along Lake Nokoue, the beaches of Grand Popo, the elephants and lions of the northern national parks, and the fine restaurants in Cotonou.

Geography

History

Benin, formerly Dahomey, is sandwiched between Togo and Nigeria on what was once known as the "Slave Coast" of Africa. People from nearly every tribe in West Africa passed through the town of Ouidah. Portuguese slavers and French colonists exerted their influence on the country, as did freed Brazilian slaves who returned to settle there.

After obtaining its independence from France in 1960, Benin struggled through 12 years of coups, countercoups and counter-countercoups. Then a group of army officers headed by Mathieu Kerekou took over and held power for almost 20 years. In an effort to break with the colonial past, Kerekou took Benin through a Marxist-Leninist period. His economic policies failed—strikes, demonstrations and coup attempts (as many as six in one year) became common as the situation worsened daily.

In 1990, Kerekou called for a national convention to draft a new constitution. The convention met, announced plans for the creation of a multiparty system and demanded Kerekou's resignation. Surprisingly, he agreed. Elections were held in 1991, and Kerekou stepped down, becoming the continent's first leader to be voted out of office. In 1996, however, he was reelected and served as president until 2006 when he again stepped down.

Free and fair elections were held, and Thomas Yayi Boni took over as president. Boni was reelected in 2011, and in 2016 Patrice Talon became president.

Benin, to Western eyes, is one of the most progressive nations in the sub-Sahara—there is far greater equality of the sexes there than in other countries in the region, and the country places heavy emphasis on education. (On the flipside, the emphasis on education has led to a bloated bureaucracy and high unemployment, as few jobs are available in the tiny private sector.) A poorly developed infrastructure and extreme poverty continue to buffet the fledgling democracy.

Snapshot

Benin's foremost attractions are tribal culture, national parks, markets, vodou sites and ceremonies, fishing villages and interesting architecture.

Thanks to a secure political situation, little crime, a good road network, short distances and plenty of clean and comfortable—though basic—places to stay, Benin is a good destination for first time visitors to West Africa as well as adventurous travelers looking for an off-beat destination. Benin will not appeal to travelers who require deluxe accommodations or high standards of service.

Potpourri

Vodou is not just a tourist attraction in Benin—it is the state religion. Vodou National Day is 10 January.

Djimon Hounsou, the model and actor who played Cinque in Steven Spielberg's film Amistad, is from Cotonou.

An unknown number of Beninoise children are sold into slavery every year as "house helps" for wealthy Nigerian families. The Child Welfare League of Nigeria and the government of Benin are working to stop this trade.

Angelique Kidjo is Benin's most well-known international name. The music star is known for mixing pop and jazz styles with the traditional Beninese zilin vocal style. Her recordings available internationally include Logozo and Aye.

Cobra Verde, a film by Werner Herzog, is a loose adaptation of Bruce Chatwin's book The Viceroy of Ouidah. It focuses on the bizarre life of Don Francisco Felix de Souza, who arrived in 1754 to run the Portuguese slaving fort in Ouidah. The movie was actually filmed in nearby Ghana.

Artisans (primarily weavers) still work in the open courtyard of the old royal palace in Abomey.

When it was a very powerful kingdom in West Africa, Dahomey had an army of women. The French called these women warriors Amazons, but unlike their mythological counterparts, they did not cut off a breast to facilitate combat—though they did commit to celibacy.

Roughly two-thirds of Benin's population lives in the south.

Among the ethnic groups represented in Benin are Yoruba (southeast), Fon (south-central), Mina (southwest), Bariba (northeast), Dendi (north-central) and Somba (northwest).