Ganvie — A City on Water in Africa

This is not a post about the flooding. This is a post about the town lake Ganve in Benin - the largest in Africa cluster of houses on the lake. Today 20 thousand people called Ganve his home. However, the city in the middle of the lake Nokoue appeared a long time - he has more than 500 years. It is sometimes called the Venice of Africa. In the early 17th century modern Benin called Dahomi and was one of the most powerful states in West Africa. The main ethnic and linguistic group there was a nation Von, whose representatives made a deal with the Portuguese. Instead of giving their people into slavery, they agreed with the Portuguese, they will hunt them and sell slaves from other tribes.

Warriors of the tribe were numerous background and powerful, and very few people from other tribes to protect themselves from them. And then someone from the tribe of Tofino came up with something. The name of this wise man long ago lost in history, but he realized that you can use religious beliefs warlike tribe. According to legends, tribe background could not come near to the settlements on the water. According to the laws of the tribe any background a group of people who lived on the water were safe. Lake Nokoue is enormous. City Ganve appeared on its waters as a means by which people could escape slavery. Not surprisingly, the city name means those who have found peace here - it can be translated as "We survived."