Benin
Benin
Located in West Africa, Benin is a long thin country to the west of Nigeria and east of Togo. It gained independence from France in 1960 and its population of just over 11 million comprise more than 40 ethnic groups. French remains the official language, though a number of indigenous languages are also commonly spoken. The main religions are Christianity and Islam, though voodoo is also officially recognised and commonly practised. The images here have been captured in Cotonou, a city 40 kms to the west of the capital, Porto-Novo.
A common sight across much of West Africa is ladies carrying precariously balanced items on their head. It is said that in East Africa, Luo women can carry as much as 70% of their body weight in this way. The practice allowed the hands to remain free to carry other items - perhaps today even a mobile phone conversation to be had!
Colour abounds, nowhere more so than in the pagnes (stunningly designed dresses and accompanying headscarves) worn by Beninese women, especially along the coast.
Benin’s Atlantic coastline forms part of the historical Slave Coast from which enslaved people were sent to the New World between the 17th and 19th centuries.
