The language Fon, or Fongbe in Fon, is spoken by roughly two thirds of the Beninese population. I was told it would be easy to learn, verbs are practically not conjugated, and friends had given me a language book as a goodbye present, so I decided to give it a go. I have to admit that it is far more difficult than thought.
By now I have learned 219 words.
This language is full of suffixes and particles referring to the finest nuances of intention, direction, time, and so on and so forth. Another difficulty is that the Fon vocabulary is limited. Words are mostly monosyllabic, and they are distinguished by their intonation. In the vocabulary given in the Web, I counted 24 times “nu”, with meanings so different as “beneficiary”, “mouth”, “as soon as”, and something resembling the French word “truc”.
Few words have more than one syllable, and these are mostly composed from monosyllabics. Take the word for “owner”: it is put together from “nu” (the “truc” mentioned above) and “no”, a suffix indicating an owner (but not to confuse with “mom”, “stay” or the marker for repeated actions). A specialist, on the other hand, is a “to”; “da-bla-to” (hair-plait-specialist) is the hairdresser for women, or plaiter, while “da-kpa-to” (hair-cut-specialist) is the one who treats the men. “Xo-jla-to” (word-spread-specialist) is the journalist, “mawu-xo-jla-to” is the specialist to spread God’s word or priest, God’s own journalist so to speak.
At this point I would like you to recall that Mawu is the highest god in the Voodoo religion, the one that always goes together with Lissa and has no image. Very good catholics will refer to God rather as “gbe-do-to” (life/world/nature-have-specialist), or the master of all things.
By intelligent combinations, the Fon can express any entity, phenomenon or concept, however abstract it may be. “Du”, for example, means to eat. You cannot just “eat”, you always have to eat something: “du nu” (the “truc”), or “du kwékwé” (bananas), or any other edible thing. But you also can eat a dance (“du we”= dance; but not to confuse with „we“, the particle for ongoing actions: “un do we du we“ means „I am dancing“), or even life (“du gbe”= enjoy). It is obvious, the Beninese love eating, and you can see the result everywhere in the street.
If this brief overview has sparked your curiosity, you can look up the website http://www.langues-africaines.com/FONGBE/index.htm. I unfortunately will have to interrupt my stay in Benin and come back to Brussels for a few days. As a goodbye, I would like to show you Cotonou at night – beautiful, isn’t it.

Due to a mild diarrhea, we could not go to Lomé as foreseen. During endless time spent on the toilet seat, the mosquitoes feasted on my behind.
Consider the recommendations of the Routard concerning malaria prevention: not only should you sleep under a mosquito net, but also wrap yourself up in clothes impregnated with insecticides, not to forget thick socks and shoes. You may slavishly follow all these advices, it is all in vain the moment you go to the toilet.
Going to the toilet affronts you with another adversity: Although people find it utterly stupid, houses are obstinately constructed with the bathroom and the kitchen across the back yard. So in cases of an urgent need during one of the frequent downpours, you find yourself facing the following scenario:

Note that the water stands ankle-high in the yard.
I spent whole yesterday watching TV: You remember, ORTB, “votre partenaire pour les grands énervements”, the President’s own channel. The President seems to be everywhere these days – Benin celebrated Independence Day on 1st of August – which makes you wonder, by and by, if he is really only one person. As discussed during my favorite early morning emission, "Bonjour Citoyen", one of the few bright spots in ORTB, he seems to be already in election campaign mood for 2011.
One remarkable event of the last few days was our visit to the Kota waterfalls, one of the sights not to be missed in the Atacora province. Here are some pictures.
First we tried to find them on our own. People indicated that we should take this road:

Can you spot the road?

This was the road we took the following day, when we came back guided by two zims (motortaxi conductors).

The landscape is great.

Then we arrived at the Kota waterfalls.
To see them in their real splendor, though, we still have to cross the torrent. Which we managed, thanks to the help of our guides, without too much damage to the knees and clothes.
Then we took a picturesque path down to the waterfalls. The vegetation is unique.
Here is the waterfall in all its splendor. Unfortunately it is too cold to plunge in.

And here it is again, undisturbed by people popping in.

The guys in white and yellow are our zims, the third one came independently to see the waterfall.

On our way back we already have developed some routine for the crossing.

Me being back in good health, we are going to a visit to Tanguietá tomorrow, little village some 30 km north of Natitingou tomorrow.

One of the most prominent features of Benin is the voodoo (vodoun in French) religion. Far from being a specialist for voodoo, I’ll still try to present to you some of it – the Beninese visitors of this blog are cordially invited to add their comments, rectifications, or complements. In the following, I base the description mainly on the thesis “Savoir réligieux et gestion de l’environnement à Ouidah” by Hermione K.N. Boko, from which I also borrow most of the photos. Ouidah, some 30 km from Cotonou, is an ancient slave port and center of voodoo worshipping.
Most people here, Christians as Muslims, are quite susceptible for this religion. Some years ago Benin has introduced a national holiday celebrating voodoo, the 13 January.
The pantheon is most complicated and subject to the highest divine couple Mahu (female, representing fertility and the order of nature) and Lissa (male, fire, sun, work, youth, and responsible for the order in the human world). Lissa has distributed the people in the regions of the south – Dahomey, Adjaland, Yorubaland, Ketou and Abomey.
Subject to the highest couple, and acting as their messengers, there is a large number of divinities attributed to the water, the earth, the air and the fire. Xebiosso for example, is the god of rain and lightning. Together with his 41 children he manages the climate, sending moderate, beneficial rain when he is in good mood. Evil acts such like poisoning, theft, or the use of trees by witches make him angry, and he (together with his children) will intervene with lightning. Sometimes he has a quarrel with his sister Sakpata, goddess of the earth, and then he holds back the rain.

Dan, the snake, symbolized by the rainbow, links the waters of the sky with the waters of the ground. His effigy is the snake that bites its own tail, and he represents the change and the circle of life and death.

And then there is Sakpata, mighty goddess of the earth. When she is angry, she sends you skin rashes or even smallpox. One friend told me the story of people who have angered Sakpata, who start suffering from burning rashes, and nothing helps. The disease lasts exactly 3 weeks and only then it disappears after the treatment with a certain lotion. It is a clear warning against bad behavior such as arrogance.

Gu is the god of iron. Given the importance of iron for the development of civilizations, you can imagine his position. He is worshipped by all professions who use metal, like blacksmiths, warriors, farmers, but also car drivers or tailors.

Legba is the youngest of Mahu’s children. He does not really have a territory, as he manages the communication between the gods, the gods and the humans, and the humans: he speaks all languages. He can usually be found at market places, crossroads or at the entrance to the houses, and while he can take any form – animal or animal-human – he is always represented by an enormous phallus. Because he is the principle of communication, everybody can have his or her own Legba – communities, clans, families, individuals. All gods owe him respect, as without him no communication would be possible.

Of course beside these prominent figures, there are plenty of other gods subject to a complicated hierarchy, and their classification (air, fire, earth and water) is not always clear.
The voodoos (or, if necessary, the ancestors) are invoked by the oracle, Fa, whenever there is a reason to ask the divine opinion, such as diseases or important undertakings. The voodoos will also protect people from sorcery and help them in case of illness. Every now and again, beside the road or in the middle of a crossing, you can find a jar filled with medicines or other stuff, representing the disease, and upon destruction of this grigri, the disease will be cured – but it may also be evil sorcery. In any event, you should be cautious not to step on it, because the evil might come over you instead.

The voodoos are worshipped at certain natural spots like waterfalls or prominent trees, but in the south they can also have their own little houses. It may happen that this house is in the way of some road construction. In these cases, a Fa will be organized in order to ask the resident voodoo if it is possible to replace the house. He/she may or may not agree, in any case account will be taken of the voodoo’s will.

Et puis soudain, juste en face de la villa de celle-ci, une autre villa se trouva libre. Alors Oblomov la loua et, sans même la visiter, s'y installa. Et le voilà avec Olga du matin au soir, le voilà qui lui fait la lecure, lui envoie des fleurs, se promène avec elle sur le lac, dans les montagnes. Lui, Oblomov! Qu'est-ce qui n'arrive pas dans le monde?

Two weeks ago, the submarine cable which transmits most of the data out of Benin, has broken. This explains a severe deterioration of the internet connections (and telephone landlines, but this does not really concern me) we had recently. A ship from South Africa, which can repair this, is on its way, and in the meantime the government tries to rerout the data by satellites. But the connections to the outside world are seriously hampered.

Oblomova spares neither cost nor effort to keep you updated.

Not that much has happened in the meantime. In our front yard, tomatoes and beans sprang up amongst the rubble. Hopefully they will escape the zeal of the weed exterminator who passes by regularly.

The internet session is interrupted by a blackout. Yesterday this happened while I was at the hairdresser. Normally the procedure takes about an hour, but this time I had to sit there for almost three hours, admiring the skill of the braiders (they fix hair extensions to strands of 2 cm and screw them into little ropes of not more than 2mm), and still I had to leave with my hair undried. People are masters of improvisation, but the loss for the economy must be tremendous. The other internet café has not yet recovered from its burnt modem.

I know that some of you don't really enjoy my wildlife pictures, but I cannot resist to take them, if only for my sister's edification (she will pass her final exam on 11 August, so please cross your fingers). I am sure, many of you always wanted to know how millipedes do it: here is the answer, some kind of insect porn, so to speak.

This animal sat on our wall one evening. The following morning I only found its arm on the ground.

Admire this artistic anthill.

Meet the West African ladybug, comme chez nous a big devourer of aphids.

Another nameless beauty.

Tous s'étonnaient de voir la galerie effondrée, mais la veille encore, tous s'étonnaient de la voir encore et toujours tenir debout.

Cotonou is under water. In some quarters the water stands 1,5 meters high in the houses, flooding the septic tanks, epidemic diseases and a malaria peak are threatening. The mayor has declared emergency state and asked the international community for help.
Parts of the city, including the airport (which is not flooded though), are below sea level, and floods occur regularly during rainy season. In the past several years they seem to develop a circular pattern, with an especially severe flood every four years. What is worse, the impact of the flood gets more severe. In the recent past, pressure on the housing market has been such that more and more houses have been built in the surrounding swamps. Flood protection basins have been dismantled in order to get construction material, or filled up to create space. Law enforcement apparently does not work. Even in the protected, higher quarters, the roads have transformed into groundless strips of mud. People take things in their own hands and dig drainage ditches into the roads, thus adding to the general deterioration of the routes. Whoever has family members or friends in the upper part of the city, will temporarily live with them or at least send their children. The others have to rely on public relief services.
Yet, after so many years of regular once-a-year flood, it still seems to come as a surprise for the local authorities. In half-baked TV spots, the mayor of Cotonou announces extensive construction of flood protection facilities. Overall this is just another example of missing urban planning, lack of tax income and mismanagement.
People bear this with extraordinary self control and courage. While everybody is severely pissed off, you will never hear them badmouthing each other.
Here is one of the more cheerful sights of flooded Cotonou. Luckily I have the possibility to leave Cotonou for the more agreeable hills of Natitingou.

(Oblomov sleeps right through the agricultural chapter.)

The economy of Benin is based almost exclusively on agriculture, most of it food production for the local markets. Benin is, however, among the world’s 20 biggest cotton producers, and cotton exports account for some 35% of fiscal revenues. Of course, there is also a significant national cloth production.
Food production is small scale. As works are still conducted manually, fields are tiny.
Although the government has provided some machines recently, practically all fieldwork is conducted using the traditional hoe in backbreaking hard labour.
The most important crops are maize, manioc, yams, beans, tomatoes, bananas, oranges, mangoes, ananas, cashew nuts, and karité nuts. Rice is usually imported from Thailand, onions from Niger.
The fields, small as they are, often contain a mix of crops. Here maize is planted along with manioc, yams and beans.

In the hilly region of the north, a peasant will clear a strip of land and produce for a couple of years. When the soil is exhausted, he will move on, clear another strip, and wilderness takes over the old field. Some years later, he will come back to the original field. Note the piles of rocks in the abandoned field below.
Yams is a climbing plant forming large tubers, consumed either fried or in the form of meal. Each of the mounds holds a piece of tuber.
Manioc, another tuberous crop, is originally from South America. It is consumed fried, grated and dried (“gari”), or as meal. It can also be processed into starch (“tapioca”), but can theoretically also serve as raw material for bio-ethanol.
Mango trees are some kind of weed. You spit out a kernel, and the next thing you know you have a gigantic tree in your back yard. I found this one right in front of our entrance.
Nearly every house is adorned by a majestic mango tree.
Mangoes ripening on a tree. Mangoes are also eaten by birds and large bats. However, these animals are not regarded as enemies, as the trees are far too large and the upper part usually remains unharvested.

Papaya tree in a back yard.
Similarly to the arable crops, fruit trees are often grown mixed together: Karité trees and mango trees form a dense forest.
Karité nuts are processed by the farm women, and the butter is sold on the local markets. They are heated in these ovens in order to separate the fat.
This is how the karité butter is sold on the markets. It can also be used for cooking, but it seems that it is not very good.
Another important fruit is the cashew apple. The lower part of the fruit is the cashew nut, usually exported, and the red apple is consumed as fruit.
Traditional farmhouses are made from clay and covered and decorated with cement. The local clay is astonishingly resistant and can survive several rainy seasons unprotected without too much damage. Usually several related families live together in an agglomeration of buildings, to which the storage buildings (the round ones) are added.
Cereals storage
There are also freestanding storage facilities
Another typical house form in the north-west of Benin is the famous “tata somba”.
Cattle are raised by the Peul, an ethnic group in the north of Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso. They are held in transhumance, migrating up to Niger and Burkina Faso during the dry season and coming back to Benin for the rainy season from June to September, and then you can meet them grazing between the fruit trees. Often a farmer, who has got some spare money, will buy a cow and give it to a Peul herdsman for keeping and breeding, thus increasing his wealth. The Peul on the other hand gets the right to exploit the milk given by the cows. However, milk production is far below the demand, so large quantities of milk powder are imported in order to make up for the lacking quantity, thus at the same time impeding the development of local milk production.
Recently sometimes the traditional cattle are crossbred with Brazilian varieties in order to increase the yield.
One local delicatessen is the typical cheese produced by the Peul. In fact, most of the locally produced milk is transformed into this cheese, although recently imitations based on imported milk powder or soymilk are sometimes sold on the markets. The milk is agglutinated by plant essences, and the cheese is colored with teak leaves. Usually it is fried (it does not melt) and added to spicy tomato sauce.
Almost everybody raises chicken, and many hold goats. Chicken, fish and beans are the most important protein sources, fish being cheaper than chicken.
The goats are of some local, small and stocky, brand, although sometimes big and bony varieties similar to European goats can be found.

Honey is another renowned West African product.
For those living in Europe, in order to experience the practical side of what has been told and shown above, you are invited to wander through your local quarter of African immigrants and check out what is on sale in their shops.