I can’t tell you how many Americans I’ve encountered who think New York City is the capital of New York. I’m sure there are just as many who falsely assume that Seattle is the capital of Washington or that Las Vegas serves as the capital of Nevada. Sometimes the economic powerhouse of a state or country is treated like a de facto capital, even when it is not. Some countries do have two, or even three official capitals, but Benin has only one: Porto-Novo. And yet, Porto (as it has affectionately been nicknamed by locals) often plays second fiddle to the mighty Cotonou, which is a mere 41km (25mi) west of Porto along the Atlantic coast. Cotonou, with a population nearing 2.5 million, is bold and brash. The Port of Cotonou is the gatekeeper of Benin’s imports and exports and people zip about the city with a cosmopolitan flair. Many government buildings and foreign embassies line the thoroughfares; Cotonou loves to masquerade as a capital, even though it is not.
Porto, on the other hand, is akin to sipping a cold drink on a hot day. After the high octane capitals of Accra and Lomé, Porto asks you to chill out and slow down. Strolls the streets in the morning will find you bombarded with more bonjours than you know what to do with; if you’re adventurous try your hand at a “Mikou afon nou,” which means, “Good Morning” in Goun, one of Benin’s many local languages. (I was given some lessons in Goun by my wonderful friend Edem, who lives and works in Porto as a chef. He, along with Robert, join the roster of Richmond, Igor and Cousin, all of whom are people I hold near and dear to my heart.)
Cotonou may be the force behind the nation’s fiscal power and have a population advantage (Porto’s population barely cracks half a million), but aside from an excellent contemporary art museum, Porto walked away with the bulk of the nation’s urban culture, museums and soul. Cotonou comes on strong, but then doesn’t live up to the hype. Porto is shy and bashful, slowly baiting its hooks and reeling you in. The unassuming capital also is home to one of the most impressive agriculture initiatives in Africa and the world, and along with a local vegan restaurant and botanical garden, this introduction to Porto-Novo will show how the thoughtful Béninois maintain a strong connection and devotion to the land.
Centre Songhaï
I don’t need to visit every nation in West Africa to state with a high degree of certainty that Centre Songhaï is one of the jewels of the entire region. A visit to the center is downright mind-blowing and will upend any lingering stereotypes you still might carry about a poor, impoverished and technologically backwards Africa, while at the same time it will make you question how countries in the “developed world” have not implemented some of Centre Songhaï’s groundbreaking agricultural techniques.
Centre Songhaï owes everything to Godfrey Nzamujo, who was born in Nigeria in 1950. After spending his youth in Nigeria, he immigrated to the US where he earned a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering at Loyola Marymount, and three Ph.D.s from the University of California: one in microbiology, developmental science and economic philosophy. Nzamujo grew increasingly weary of the African images portrayed in the American media. The Sally Struthers-types of the world loudly broadcast the famine and disease in Africa, but it wasn’t just that they didn’t offer any counterbalance- they also didn’t offer any solutions. Nzamujo knew he had to return to Africa and put all of those fancy degrees to work.
Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, while urban centers across Africa were starting to assert themselves on the world stage, a mass exodus was occurring in the rural areas. Farmers struggled to provide food for their families, let alone produce enough surplus to sell at market. The cycles of poverty were calcifying and Nzamujo knew that if action was not taken soon, they would eventually be impossible to break. Nzamujo planned to combat this by creating systems of completely self-sustaining farmland heralding the motto, “Total Production, Zero Waste.” He traveled through all the nations of West Africa, including his native Nigeria, asking each government for a plot of land. Everyone turned his down except for Benin, whose government afforded Nzamujo a single hectare in the capital of Porto-Novo.
Centre Songhaï was founded in 1985, taking its name from the mighty 15-Century Songhaï dynasty that ruled a large swath of West Africa before European colonialists came on the scene. Nzamujo wanted to remind Africans of a time before its destiny was controlled by Europeans; through Centre Songhaï, Nzamujo wanted to give the people back autonomy over the land and their lives. Rural Africa needed a shot in the arm, and Sally Struthers was not going to be the one to administer the dose.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Centre Songhaï has come a long way from that first tiny hectare on the outskirts of Porto-Novo. The original center has not only expanded, but given birth to offshoot sites in 15 different countries across West and Central Africa. Through its growth, the OG location in Porto still remains the headquarters for all things Songhaï. Visitors are able to take an in-depth tour (90 minutes, only in French unless pre-arranged beforehand), but the center’s greatest legacy is the educational programming provided to agricultural students from all across the continent. Students can either sign up for internships or full training courses; scholarships are available, and students from Benin can enroll in the full training initiatives for free. Tourists are also welcome to book a dorm room for their stay in Porto, as an alternative to hostels and hotels in the capital. (I almost opted to stay at Centre Songhaï, but thank god I didn’t or I wouldn’t have met Edem and Robert!)
Taking the 90 minute tour at Centre Songhaï easily ranks as one of the top ten scariest things I’ve ever done on my travels. Pushing boundaries while traveling doesn’t always have to be about facing a fear of heights or snakes. I’m decently confident in my French skills, but this tour pushed me to the edge and beyond. The guide was kind and funny, but these weren’t exactly conversational topics: production of bio-gas from animal and plant waste; the nitty-gritty of creating soap and oil from roasted palm nuts; the process of recycling plastic, paper and glass on site and manufacturing 100%-recycled vessels to sell goods at the center. My saving grace? There were two Nigerians in our group who befriended me and translated when I got lost in the weeds with the French tech-talk. (Let me reiterate for the 100th time: West Africans are the kindest people in the world!!)
Bio-Energy
See that diagram behind the bio-gas canisters? Yeah, that’s Nzamujo’s Ph.D.s at work. He devised a method for creating gas from the decaying waste of animals and plants at the center. Bacteria are introduced to vats of animal droppings, corn husks, coconut shells and any other bio-waste that can be foraged. The decomposing materials produce gas, which is harvested and amassed by the technical process described above (don’t ask me to explain it!). The final result is that all of the cooking, lighting and heating at the center can be fueled by this bio-gas created by the unending supply of animal and plant waste. Completely remarkable and revolutionary, one can quickly see what a huge threat Nzamujo’s ideas are to corporate power conglomerates.
Bio-Production
There are three types of bio-production at Centre Songhaï: Plant, Animal and Fish Farming. All three of these sectors work in harmony to keep the ecosystem of the center in homeostasis. When rainwater causes the fish farms to overflow, it is transported through mechanisms to irrigate the fruit and vegetable plots elsewhere in the center. A portion of the produce and grains are given to the animals as feed and in turn, the animal droppings that are not used to create bio-gas are taken to the fields to help germinate the next round of seeds. Everything is connected at Centre Songhaï.
As a vegetarian, I have to admit it was difficult knowing that these animals were being raised to become food (except for the egg-laying hens), but the animals are treated humanely and there is no animal death for pure sport or malice. This is the circle of life respectfully carried out within the confines of West African culture, which is still by and large a meat-eating society.
Ok, the donkeys are also afforded the luxury to live to old age, managing the grass growth and providing excrement for the bio-gas and vegetable fields. (Plus, let’s face it, they’re here because they’re cute!)
Centre Songhaï has been on the forefront of fertilizer-free farming. Absolutely zero chemicals are used at any of the centers, making all of their produce 100% organic. The composted animal droppings are tilled into the soil after each harvest, naturally replenishing the earth with the vitamins and minerals it needs to allow crops to flourish. Again, everything Nzamujo created goes against corporate farming. With animals, fish, some seeds and the right technology, every farm can be completely self-sustaining.
Centre Songhaï is a veritable wonderland of tropical fruit, and I’m not just talking the basics like bananas, oranges, limes and mangos. There were types of fruits I had never even heard of before, and with the supercharged soil, the produce grew like it was on nature’s steroids. I saw grapefruit that were bigger than my head. After the fruit has ripened, it is picked and turned into juices, jams and other goodies that are sold at the Songhaï store (and throughout grocery stores in Benin).
Bio-Processing
This leads me to the center’s next function: bio-processing. After any fruit or vegetable is harvested, all of the produce is processed directly on site. Our guide gave us a deeper look into palm oil production. Once palm nuts are removed from their husks, the waste will be sent to compost or to produce bio-gas. After the nuts themselves are turned into palm oil or palm nut soap, once again, the waste will be sent to compost or to the bio-gas chamber.
None of the machines or farm equipment at Centre Songhaï have been purchased from an outside manufacturer. Every fixture is made from recycled or found metal objects and assembled completely on site. This metal was once on the trash heap, and now is used to process palm nuts year round. Nzamujo knew that rural farmers would never be able to afford the fancy farm equipment he saw in America and other areas of the West. Seeking loans or aid that might buy one palm nut press for one farmer is not a very practical solution to a wide-spread problem either. Instead of looking outside Africa for help, Nzamujo decided to look within, developing creative solutions to difficult problems.
And where exactly are these plastic bottles for the palm oil coming from? You guessed it: Centre Songhaï makes all of its own packaging from 100% recycled materials on premises too. Before my tour, the center had just received a donation of blue plastic buckets that were headed for the city dump. Trash collection and removal can be a big issue in West Africa, and efforts like these at Centre Songhaï to recycle and repurpose “trash” are essential to clean up certain neighborhoods and protect the environment. We got to watch our guide shred some blue buckets on a machine that itself was made from recycled metal, preparing the former waste to become packaging or perhaps a vessel for irrigation in its reincarnated next life.
Bio-Consumption
The final piece of the puzzle is bio-consumption. Instead of importing food, the only way rural West African farmers will succeed is if the other citizen choose to consume the goods they produce. After students graduate from the centers and return home to their villages and small towns, they can implement as many sustainable systems as they want, but none of it will be matter if people don’t purchase locally. Yes, Centre Songhaï was designed to be self-sufficient, but it still requires an influx of cash to pay for the staff and other expenses. Farmers can’t exist in a bubble. They provide a necessity, but consumers still must make the purchase.
Farmers around the world, including in the United States, face massive economic hardships day in and day out. Imagine what the power of Nzamujo’s Songhaï system could do to revolutionize the agriculture industry on a global scale. Throwing money at problems is rarely the solution. Implementing real grassroots change is the answer; at least it has been in Benin.
Vegan Suma Loving Hut
From sustainability to spirituality, come on down to the Loving Hut, Porto’s first all-vegan restaurant. Here the food is plant-based and the chefs are as concerned with your karma as they are about your cholesterol. The restaurant’s exterior is covered with colorful artwork which is rivaled only by the striking dishes served inside. By western standards the prices are low, but compared to other eateries in the capital, you will pay more for a meal at the Loving Hut. Like Centre Songhaï, you can purchase some of their vegan sauces and speciality ingredients on site. Whether you’re looking to dine out or stay in and cook for yourself, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian passing through Porto-Novo, you’ll want to make a pit stop at the Loving Hut.
Jardin des Plantes et de la Nature (JPN)/Garden of Plants and Nature a.k.a the Porto-Novo Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden, abbreviated in French as “JPN,” stands as a quiet oasis smack in the middle of the capital. The JPN sits upon land once known as the Sacred Grove of the Kingdom of Porto-Novo. In 1895, the French Governor of Dahomey (as Benin was once named), set up residence next to the Sacred Grove and converted it into a Botanical Garden containing over 600 species of trees.
Over the next one hundred years, the city grew and the garden shrunk in the tug of war between man and nature. By 1998, the garden had slimmed down to half its original size and contained only 300 of the original 600 species of trees. A plan was introduced by the government to protect and rebuild the garden, reversing its decline and making a push for the public to visit the grounds.
As informative postings (only in French) clarify, the garden is still considered sacred ground by the descendants of the Migan and the royal Hogbonou, who would enter the forest to concentrate when making important political or judicial decisions. The spirits of the forest would help guide their minds and allow justice to prevail.
The most sacred tree in the forest is easily the Iroko, the king of all trees in Benin. Rituals and incantations are performed with the trees, often in conjunction with other plants and nuts found in the forest. The Migan planted the Iroko trees over 300 years ago and they have grown to be over 40m (130ft) high. Their root systems reach deep into the ground, allowing them to communicate both with the spirits below and the spirits and that flit through the atmosphere overhead.
The Iroko is able to divine what the spirits want through a series of symbols created by sticks and nuts that would be thrown by a priest in front of the sacred tree. The tree could grant supernatural protections for men, women and children in the kingdom, its leaves and roots provide great medicinal properties, and even the fates of condemned criminals were left to the Iroko: one symbol demanded execution while another granted a full pardon.
Throughout Porto, you can see the respect and reverence the Béninois have for the natural world. The land and the fruit it bears are sacred and must be treated with the esteem they deserve. Nothing that the earth gives us must be taken for granted. The food we eat can nourish both our bodies and souls. To tap into some Buddhist philosophy, we must practice mindfulness at all times and attempt to keep our fragile ecosystem in a harmonious balance. The JPN teaches us how the spirit world interacts with plants and trees; at the Loving Hut we are urged to place our karmic needs above all else; Centre Songhaï reminds us that through community action we can harness the energy the natural world provides, and if we honor it, we can multiply its power in infinite measure. Don’t let little Porto-Novo fool you. There is much more here than meets the eye.
La description suivie des photos, faites dans cet article, Franchement je ne regrette pas de l’avoir lu. Merci Ben