On Saturday we took an InCreDibLe little trip out to GANVIE Village. Its a village of 30,000 people in the middle of a lake who built a whole society on stilts about 2 meter above the water. Its an amazing African "Venice".
This is an excerpt from a Human Development website that explains it well.
"The meaning of the name Ganvie "we survived", is a reminder of the historical events that brought the village into existence. In the 17th Century, the Kingdom of Abome was waging war against neighboring tribes, on a mission to capture prisoners of war to supply the transatlantic slave trade. The chief of this tribe conceived an ingenious plan to shelter his people in the middle of lake Nokoue where enemies and slavers could not capture them. From rafts and canoes, a village system on water emerged, including markets, and today schools, restaurants, churches, clinics, etc."
On the boat ride out we traveled past many fisherman in the reeds, diving for their trap's catch, canoes crammed with children returning home from school, women bringing their produce to the markets..paddling with babies ON their backs still, young boys pulling balancing stunts to impress us (indeed it did!), children standing with on a piece of fabric and holding it in their hands to create their own windsails, and even 3 YEAR OLDS no joke paddling around the village to pass the day and visit neighbors!!! I would like to come back for a weekend of exploring and hanging out. Our tour went way to fast. Its incredible what these people have built. The pictures don't begin to capture it.
In true Steph fashion... once again.. lost my photos. I accidentally deleted ALL instead of ONE when I got home trying to edit them this time. I was so excited to capture some really great moments yesterday but Thankfully we have lots of great photographers onboard, so thank you Michel P. for letting me borrow yours!
