Benin: Ganvie Stilt Village
Ganvie is a village in the middle of Lake Nokoue, completely standing on stilts. In the 16th century, people from the Tofino tribes tried to escape slavers and established a community deep inside the lake, out of reach of their captors. It takes a good half hour to reach the village from the lakeshore. Most fishermen are actually women, pushing their boats with poles, pulling small nets with tiny fish, and taking the fish ashore to exchange for other goods. This is as colorful and unique of Africa as I have seen so far! Ganvie Stilt Village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
