Ganvié – The West African floating village that has over 3,000 stilt buildings
Imeobong Utuk
Project Management ll Product Management ll Project Consultancy II Talent Sourcing II Talent Promotion
Commonly described as the ‘Venice of Africa’, Ganvié is the largest lake village in Africa with a population of about 20,000!
?
Lying in Lake Nokoué, near Cotonou, Republic of Benin , the settlement was created either in the 16th or 17th century by the Tofinou tribe as a direct response to avoid capture by Fon ?(largest ethnic group in?Benin ) warriors who , at the time , were involved in the ?slave trade.
Located in the North-Western region of Cotonou, Ganvié is a fascinating place with houses made out of hard teak wood and thick straw bush roofs, with its only means of transportation to and from the village via wooden boats.
With its main economic activities being tourism and fishing, the village has evolved over the years into a cluster of over 3,000 stilt buildings of various types, including houses, banks, restaurants, markets, hotels, schools, and religious spaces.
‘Ganvié’ – which translates to “We are saved”, was added to the?UNESCO?World Heritage?Tentative List on October 31, 1996 in the Cultural category.
?
?
?
?
?