'Benin', officially the 'Republic of Benin', is a country in
Western Africa,
formerly known as
Dahomey (until 1975) or Dahomania. It borders
Togo to the west,
Nigeria to the east and
Burkina Faso and
Niger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to the
Bight of Benin. Its capital is
Porto Novo, but the seat of government is
Cotonou.
Name
The name "Benin" has no proper connection to
Kingdom of Benin (or
Benin City). The name
Dahomey was changed in
1975 to The People's Republic of Benin, named after the body of water on which the country lies, the
Bight of Benin. This name was picked due to its neutrality, since the current political boundaries of Benin encompass over fifty distinct linguistic groups and nearly as many individual ethnic groups. The name
Dahomey was the name of the ancient
Fon Kingdom, and was determined to be an inappropriate name.
History
Main articles: History of Benin
The African kingdom of
Dahomey was formed by a mixture of various local ethnic groups on the Abomey plain. Historian IA Akinjogbin theorized that the insecurity caused by the slave trade may have contributed to mass migrations of different groups, including a segment of the royal family of the city of Allada, to Abomey. These groups coalesced around a strict military culture aimed at securing and eventually expanding the borders of the small kingdom.
Dahomey was known for its distinct culture and traditions. Boys were often apprenticed to older soldiers at a young age, and learned about the kingdom's military customs until they were old enough to join the navy. Dahomey was also famous for instituting an elite female soldier corps, called "Ahosi" or "our mothers" in the Fongbe language, known in English as the Dahomean Amazons. This emphasis on military preparation and achievement earned Dahomey the nickname of "little black Sparta" from European observers and commentators like
Sir Richard Burton.
Human sacrifice was a common practice, according to contemporary sources; on holidays and special occasions, thousands of slaves and prisoners of war were beheaded in public. Some Dahomean religious beliefs maintained that decapitation enhanced the prestige and potency of the Dahomean throne and its warriors.
Though the founders of Dahomey appear to have initially been against it, the slave trade was active in the region of Dahomey for almost three hundred years, leading to the area being named "the Slave Coast". The demands of court procedures, which demanded that a portion of war captives from the kingdom's many battles be decapitated, led to a decrease in the amount of enslaved people exported from the area. The number went from 20,000 at the beginning of the seventeenth century to 12,000 in the beginning of the 1800s. The decline is partly due to many colonial countries declaring slave trade illegal. This decline continued until 1885, when the last Portuguese trade vessel with slaves departed from the coast of present day Benin.
Along with the powerful Dahomean kingdom, a range of other nations inhabited the area that would become the Republic of Benin. Of note were the
Ketu, Icha, Dassa, Anago, and other sub-groups of the
Yoruba-speaking people. These groups were in close contact with related sub-groups in present-day Nigeria, and were often enemies of the Dahomeans. However, some were also citizens of Dahomey and, in regions such as present-day
Porto Novo, both groups inter-married.
North of these people were the
Borgu,
Mahi, and several other ethnic groups that form the country's present population.
By the middle of the
nineteenth century, Dahomey started to lose its status as the regional power, enabling the
French to take over the area in
1892. In
1899, the land became part of the
French West Africa colony, still as Dahomey. In
1958, it was granted autonomy as the Republic of Dahomey, and full independence started on
August 1,
1960.
For the next 12 years, ethnic strife contributed to a period of turbulence. There were several coups and regime changes, with three main figures dominating -
Sourou Apithy,
Hubert Maga, and
Justin Ahomadegbé - each of them representing a different area of the country. These three agreed to form a presidential council after violence had marred the
1970 elections. In
1972, a military coup led by
Mathieu Kérékou overthrew the council. He established a
Marxist government under the control of
Military Council of the Revolution (CNR), and the country was renamed to the People's Republic of Benin in
1975. In
1979, the CNR was dissolved and elections took place. By the late
1980s, Kérékou abandoned Marxism after an economic crisis and decided to re-establish a parliamentary
capitalist system. He was defeated in
1991 elections by
Nicéphore Soglo, becoming the first black African president to step down after an election. He returned to power after winning the
1996 vote. In
2001, a closely fought election resulted in Kérékou winning another term. His opponents claimed there were some election irregularities.
President Kérékou and former President Soglo did not run in the
2006 elections, both being barred by the constitution of Benin from running again due to their age and President Kérékou's two recent terms as president. President Kérékou is widely praised for making no effort to change the constitution so that he could remain in office or run again, unlike some African leaders. An election, considered free and fair, was held on
March 5,
2006, and resulted in a
runoff between
Yayi Boni and
Adrien Houngbédji. The runoff election was held on
March 19 and was won by Yayi Boni, who assumed office on
April 6. The success of the fair multiparty elections in Benin won high praise, and Benin is widely considered a model democracy in Africa.
Politics
Main articles: Politics of Benin
Benin's politics takes place in a framework of a
presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the
President of Benin is both
head of state and
head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system.
Executive power is exercised by the government.
Legislative power is vested in both the
government and the legislature. The
Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The current political system is derived from the
1990 Constitution of Benin and the subsequent transition to democracy in
1991.
In its 2004 Worldwide Press Freedom Index,
Reporters Without Borders ranked Benin 27th out of 167 countries.
Departments and communes
Main articles: Departments of Benin,
Communes of Benin
Departments of Benin
is divided into 12
departments (French: ''départements''), and subdivided into 77
communes. In
1999, the previous six departments were each split into two halves, forming the current 12. The new six departments have not been assigned a capital yet.
#
Alibori
#
Atakora
#
Atlantique
#
Borgou
#
Collines
#
Donga
#
Kouffo
#
Littoral
#
Mono
#
Ouémé
#
Plateau
#
Zou
Geography
Map of Benin
Benin is a cultural
West African country with a population of over 7 million. It is roughly the size of
Tennessee, and the geography of the land primarily consists of long coastal strips and swampy or forested plateaus.
Stretched between the
Niger River in the northeast and the
Bight of Benin in the south, Benin's elevation is about the same for the entire country. Most of the population lives in the southern coastal plains, where Benin's largest cities are also located, including
Porto Novo and
Cotonou. The north of the country consists mostly of
savanna and semi-arid highlands.
Running southernly, down the middle of the country is the
Oueme River.
The climate in Benin is hot and humid with relatively little rain compared to other West African countries, although there are two rainy seasons (April-July and September-November). In the winter the dust winds of the
harmattan can make the nights rather cold.
The largest city and commercial capital is
Cotonou. The name ''Cotonou'' is from the
Fon phrase '' 'at the lake of the dead', from the adjacent lagoon. This is a reference to the belief that falling stars represent the souls of those who have just died falling to the underworld. It is said that when Cotonou was founded, the lights of the lacustrine village of
Ganvié across the lagoon were reflected in the waters, suggesting fallen stars at the bottom. Ganvié is a fishing village sitting in the water on stilts at the western shore of the lagoon.
The town of
Ouidah is the spiritual capital of vodun, and is known locally as ''glexwe''. It was a major slaving port under
Portuguese occupation. The town of
Abomey is the old capital of the Fon kingdom of
Dahomey, and the Fon king continues to reside there.
In Atakora province, Betamaribe settlements straddling the Togolese border are called
tata somba 'Somba houses'; they are famous for their fortifications, with livestock housed inside and the people sleeping in huts among the granaries on the roofs.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Benin
The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture,
cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise has offset much of this increase.
Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin has plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on
tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and
communication technology. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in
telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The
Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms.
Although
trade unions in Benin represent up to 75% of the formal workforce, the large informal economy has been noted by the
International Trade Union Confederation (ITCU) to contain ongoing problems, including a lack of women's wage equality, the use of
child labour, and the continuing issue of
forced labour.
[1]
Demographics
There are several dozen 'ethnolinguistic groups' in Benin, representing three of Africa's language families:
Niger-Congo,
Nilo-Saharan, and
Afroasiatic. The latter is represented by
Hausa living mostly as merchants in the north, while Nilo-Saharan is represented by the , descending from the
Songhai Empire. The
language predominates along the
Niger River in the far north, and is used as a
lingua franca in Muslim areas throughout the north, in Alibori, Borgou, and Donga provinces. Of the Niger-Congo family, five branches are represented:
★
Mande by the
Boko or Busa, now in the far eastern corner (southern Alibori-northern Borgou), but previously more widely spread before being largely absorbed by the Bariba
★
West Atlantic by the nomadic
Fulbe scattered across the northeast
★
Benue-Congo by the
Yoruba of Collines and Plateau provinces, such as the old kingdom of
Sakete, and the capital city of
Porto-Novo, having expanded west from
Oyo and
Ife in the twelfth to nineteenth centuries
★
Gur (Voltaic) languages predominate in the four northern provinces, with the
(Bariba) of the old
Borgou (Bariba) Kingdom occupying most of the countryside in its successor provinces of Borgou and Alibori, as well as the provincial captital of
Parakou; the
Yom throughout much of Donga province and its capital
Djougou; and several groups in the Atakora, including the
of the Otammari country around the provincial capital of
Natitingou, the
Biali, the
Waama of
Tanguiéta, and the
Gulmàceba.
★
Kwa, especially the
Gbe languages spoken by the
Tado peoples in the southern and central provinces: the
Aja who established themselves in Kouffo province from neighboring
Togo and gave rise to the other Tado peoples of Benin, except for the
Mina of Mono province, who arrived separately from Togo or
Ghana: The
culture centered in Zou province around the old capital of
Abomey, but also dominant in
Cotonou and southern Atlantique areas such as
Ouidah; the
Maxi in central Collines, especially around
Savalou; the
of central Atlantique (
Allada); the
Xwla and
Xueda in the lagoons of the coast; the
of Ouémé; and the
Gun of Porto-Novo. Other Kwa languages are spoken by the
Anii in southern Donga in the region of
Bassila, and the
in western Donga near the town of
Ouaké.
The largest ethnic group are the Fon, with 1.7 million speakers of the Fon language (2001), followed by the various Yoruba groups (1.2 million), the Aja (600,000), the Bariba (460,000), the Ayizo (330,000), the Fulbe (310,000), and the Gun (240,000). Near the ports in the south can be found people of lighter skin who are descended from returned
Brazilian slaves. There are also small numbers of Europeans, principally
French, and Asians, mainly
Lebanese and
Indians.
Indigenous religions
Indigenous religions are followed by a majority of the people. They include local
animistic religions in the
Atakora (Atakora and Donga provinces) and
Vodun among the Yoruba and Tado peoples in the center and south of the country. The town of
Ouidah on the central coast is the spiritual center of Beninese vodun.
The Yoruba and Tado pantheons correspond closely:
★ The
supreme deity Mawu (in the Fon language) or
Olodumare (in Yoruba)
★ The god of the earth and smallpox,
Sakpata or Cankpana
★ The god of thunder,
Xevioso or
Cango
★ The god of war and iron, Gu or
Ogun
The principal 'introduced religions' are
Islam, introduced by the
Songhai Empire and Hausa merchants, and now followed throughout
Alibori,
Borgou, and
Donga provinces, as well as among the Yoruba, by 10-15% of the population; and
Christianity, followed nominally by another 10-15% throughout the south and center of Benin and in
Otammari country in the
Atakora. Most Christians, however, continue to hold Vodun beliefs and have incorporated into Christianity the pantheon of Vodun.
★ The CIAFact book states the following: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Culture
It is believed that
Vodun (or "Voodoo", as it is commonly known) originated in Benin and was introduced to
Brazil, the
Caribbean Islands, and parts of North America by
slaves taken from this particular area of the
Slave Coast. The indigenous religion of Benin is practiced by about 60% of the population. Since 1992 Vodun has been recognized as one of Benin's official religions, and a National Vodun Holiday is celebrated on January 10.
Many Beninese in the south of the country have
Akan-based names indicating the day of the week they were born on. Twins are important in south Beninese culture, and special names for twins are also used.
Local languages are used as the languages of instruction in elementary schools, with French only introduced after several years. Beninese languages are generally transcribed with a separate letter for each speech sound (
phoneme), rather than using
diacritics as in French or
digraphs as in English. This includes Beninese
Yoruba, which in
Nigeria is written with both diacritics and digraphs. For instance, the
mid vowels written ''é è, ô, o'' in French are written '' in Beninese languages, whereas the
consonants written ''ng'' and ''sh'' or ''ch'' in English are written ''ŋ'' and ''c.'' However, digraphs are used for
nasal vowels and the
labial-velar consonants ''kp'' and ''gb,'' as in the name of the Fon language ''Fon gbe'' , and diacritics are used as
tone marks. In French-language publications, a mixture of French and Beninese orthographies may be seen.
Actor
Djimon Gaston Hounsou (born April 24, 1964), pronounced "Jie-mon Hahn-soo" is an Academy Award-nominated Beninese actor, dancer and fashion model who was born in Cotonou, Benin. He is now a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Singer
Angelique Kidjo who is a four time Grammy nominee and international goodwill ambassador for UNCEF was born in Cotonou, Benin.
Health issues
During the 1980s, less than 30 percent of the population had access to primary health care services. Benin had one of the highest death rates for children under the age of five in the world. Its
infant mortality rate stood at 203 deaths for every 1000 live births. Only one of three mothers had access to child healthcare services. The
Bamako Initiative changed that dramatically by introducing community-based healthcare reform, resulting in more efficient and equitable provision of services.
[2] A comprehensive approach strategy was extended to all areas of health care, with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and cost.
[3]
See also
A phone card from Benin.
Notes
1. Serious violations of core labour standards in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali
2. Bamako Initiative revitalizes primary health care in Benin
3. Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea
References
★ Adam, Kolawolé Sikirou and Michel Boko (1983), ''le Bénin.'' SODIMAS, Cotonou and EDICEF, Paris.
External links
Government
★
Benin Government Portal (official site)
News
★
allAfrica - Benin news headline links
★
L'Araignee
★
Allafrica news - Benin
★
benininfo
★
sonagnon.net
★
quotidien le martinal
★
LC2 international TV (Live TV )
★
Overviews
★
BBC News - Country Study: ''Benin''
★
★
MBendi - Information for Africa
★
US State Department - ''Benin'' includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
★
Rural poverty in Benin (
IFAD)
★
World Bank Country Brief: Benin
Culture
★
Beninese women authors at a glance
Directories
★
Columbia University Libraries - ''Benin'' directory category of the WWW-VL
★
★
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: ''Benin'' directory category
★
Yahoo! - ''Benin'' directory category
★
Japan Africa Network
Tourism
★
★
Benin's photogallery
._-_Danse_de_fêticheuses_de_Fon.jpg)
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