The Lagoon of Cotonou | Benin

Postcard

Cotonou, with about 800,000 inhabitants, is the largest city of Benin. The city is the seat of the government, while Benin's capital Porto-Novo is the seat of the parliament.

The city is cut in two by a canal, the lagoon of Cotonou, dug by the French in 1855. Three bridges are located in this area. Two of them visible on this postcard.

Stamps

In 2010 Benin celebrated 50 years of independence. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence  from France. The country was renamed in 1975 to Benin. 

Read More

Porto Novo, the capital of Benin

Postcard

Porto-Novo is the official capital and second largest city of the West African nation of Benin. The “Big Mosque” of Porto-Novo is actually a replica of a Catholic Church in Salvador de Bahia in Brazil.

 

On the bottom left you see what appears to be Voodoo ceremony. Benin is the birthplace of the Voodoo cult. From where it spread over the whole world due to slave trade, to Northern and Southern America and the Caribbeans where it has found its own interpretations.

Read More

The royal palaces of Abomey, Benin

Postcard

The royal palaces of Abomey are a group of earthen structures built by the Fon people between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries. The site of the royal palaces is located in southern Benin, near the town of Abomey, formerly the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Dahomey.

Stamp

Bernardin Gantin (1922 – 2008) was a prominent Beninese cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

Read More

A city for everyone: Parakou, Benin

Postcard

Benin is a country in West Africa. The postcard is sent from Parakou, the largest city in eastern Benin. The word Parakou means ‘a city for everyone’ and is derived from a local tribal word.

Some of the industries that are the foundation of Parakou’s economy are the cotton, textile and peanut oil industries.

Throughout Benin there are many open-air markets where people sell all kinds of goods, fruits and vegetables.

 

Stamp

The Zinkaka monkey, a severely endangered endemic species from South Benin.

Read More

A Postcard from Bénin

Postcard

Benin is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo.

From the 17th to the 19th century the  region was referred to as the Slave Coast due to the large number of slaves shipped to the New World.

After slavery was abolished Dahomey became a French protectorate in 1892. In 1958 it became the République du Dahomey, self-governing within the French community. On 1 August 1960, the Republic of Dahomey gained full independence from France. The country was renamed Benin in 1975. 

The nation is highly dependent on subsistence farming; growing beans, corn, cotton, cocoa and coffee. Tourism is on the increase, especially along the coastal areas, and in the wildlife national parks of the north.

Stamp

Cardinal Bernadin Gantin (1922- 2008).

The most prominent black African Catholic cleric of modern times once tipped to be pope

The Guardian, Thursday 15 May 2008

THX Rod!

Read More