Exploring Ouidah!!

We were tourists for the day on Thursday the 22nd! It was our first real tourist-type activity since arriving – and it was SO much fun! Martin, Rachelle and Olivier came and spent the day with us! There is SO much I could say, so let’s see if I can get it all in here!

Ouidah [Wee-dah] is a town outside of Cotonou, along the coast. All 6 of us squeezed into a tiny car for the one hour ride; there were four of us squished in the back and 2 people shared the front passenger seat. Normally you take the main, paved road to get to Ouidah – but there were police stationed along it that morning, catching drivers who had not paid their yearly tax [for driving]. Apparently our driver had not paid his tax because we took two detours to avoid the main road where the Police were stationed. These detours involved very bumpy dirt paths – which are not nice when you are sitting sideways on one hip! Ouch!

Our first stop when we arrived in Ouidah was The History Museum of Ouidah. We had a guided tour of this small museum and learned about the history of Benin, based around the slave trade. The coast of Ouidah was one of the major slave ports. People from England, France, Holland, Denmark and Portugal came to this port for slaves. This museum is built where the Portugal Fort used to stand – and focuses on the Portuguese slave trade.

HERE ARE SOME THINGS I LEARNED:

The kingdom ruling what is now Benin, was called Abomey. The king would send his men out to other towns and villages to capture people which he would sell to the slave traders. The king would accept many different things in return for the slaves – one that our guide mentioned was how a canon was worth 15 men or 20 women.

The Portuguese brought their slaves to Brazil to sell; along with the slaves came their culture and customs – this is how voodoo was brought to Brazil, Cuba and Haiti. The slaves were forbidden to practice their religious beliefs [voodoo] and were forced to take on Catholicism. The slaves refused to give up their culture and beliefs, so they secretly continued to worship their gods, while at a church. This is how voodoo and the church first became mixed. [Today in Benin the Celestial Church still exists and it is a mix of voodoo and Christianity.]

When slavery was abolished they were free to return to their homeland. Many came back to Benin, but had no idea where they came from or who their family was. These now free people brought pieces of Brazilian culture with them. The mixing of the church and voodoo was brought to Benin, as well as many new foods and traditions. There is something I love to eat here – they call it Yovo-doku – which literally means ‘cake from white man.’ These timbit-like things came from the slaves who returned from Brazil!

AND THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES….

After the museum we walked across town to what we thought was a snake museum. When we arrived and paid to enter we realized it was an actual place of worship for those who follow voodoo – but they have opened it up to the public to learn about voodoo; it is called the Python Temple. We had a guided tour of this small compound; we saw a sacred tree where they make sacrifices and learned about some of the rituals. Our guide kept repeating how people only ask the gods for good things – not bad things. He said all the bad things get blamed on voodoo, but voodoo is not the cause. I don’t believe him because I have heard otherwise…but it was interesting to hear about voodoo from someone first hand.

The best part of the ‘snake museum’ were the snakes!! The pythons are kept in a sacred room, where you had to take your shoes off before you entered. There were A LOT of pythons in there! The python is a deity for those practicing voodoo – they worship them. The pythons are given no food during the day, just water. At night they are let out and they go around the town looking for food. Apparently most of them return to the temple on their own in the morning. People in the area know if they find a python in their home, they are to return it to the temple. Crazy hey! I would not want to live around there!

Oh, and guess what? I held a python!!! I was really nervous and scared at first…but I told myself to face my fears and just do it…so I did! The guide even put it around my neck! It was freaky at first…but as we stood in the room with all the pythons I began to warm up to them – I actually left thinking they are cute! Their faces are so tiny and cute and when they ‘smell’ you with their tongue it tickles! Their bodies are a lot stronger then I thought they would be – they felt really cool! This is definitely a highlight!! I was able to sit beside a cheetah in Kenya, now I’ve held a python in Benin….I wonder what’s next?!

After the Python Temple we began the 2km trek to the beach. This was the road the slaves walked in chains to the awaiting ships. Along this dark-red road bordered by lush green fields and trees are statues built to remember the slaves. Each statue represents something; this one statue about half-way to the beach represented the place where slaves were instructed to forget their home, their family, their culture, their religion. They would be spun around 7-9 times [depending on male or female] and when they stopped spinning they were to have forgotten. It boggles my mind how they were expected to forget their entire life up to that point. How awful. As we were walking I reflected on how people walked that very path hundreds of years ago and were led away to either their death or a lifetime of abuse, cruel treatment and forced labour. The anger, fear, sorrow and desperation these people must have felt as they walked this road…..I can’t even imagine.

When we finally reached the beach we saw the monument which was built in remembrance of all the people who were taken as slaves; it is called ‘The Door of No Return.’ It is said that once you reach that point you never return.

It was so nice to finally reach the beach. Soaking your feet in the cool water after all the walking felt refreshing. I don’t know what it is about the ocean, but I could honestly stare at it for hours. There is something so magnificent, mysterious and peaceful about it. [The waves at this beach are gigantic and I accidentally got soaked up to my waist when a wave was a lot bigger than I had anticipated! The previous wave only reached mid-calf – who would have thought this next wave would go up to my waist?!? It provided my friends with a lot of entertainment….and it was kind of refreshing!

Our Ouidah adventure ended with a squishy car ride back to Cotonou! We returned to our apartment hungry, tired and little crispy – but SO content and happy.

[I tried to post some pictures with this note....but the internet would not let me. I will try and post them another time....sorry about that! ERRRRR I'm angry with the internet right now!!!]