NO PREREQS

There is something uniquely charming about canoeing. Perhaps it is the fact that it is such a basic method of transportation and lends some old world charm, or maybe it is because you are so close to the water, and you can feel its pulling and tugging strength so intimately. But my favourite thing must be how humbling it is to propel yourself metre by metre through still waters in a world full of automatic pedals, 0 to 60 in a couple of seconds, and instant gratification.

My mind churned through these thoughts while taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of life on the lagoon as the canoe turned a corner, and there it was. An entire village of houses and buildings: each supported by a number of tree trunks that extended about a meter above the water before plunging into its murky depths.

Ganviéans literally eat, sleep and work on the water. Within the city, canoes are the main method of transport, and instead of roads there are water ways with self regulated traffic. Going to a friend’s house means hopping down from your home into your canoe, rowing your way there, and tying it back up at their place. Fish and marine agriculture are their main source of income, and there is a daily market at the port closest to Ganvié that sells fresh seafood, often still wriggling around in the shallow plastic basins where they are put on display. There is no absence of vendors in Ganvié itself either: they roam the waterways in canoes full of their products. We passed by a health clinic, school, nightclub and mosque in the city, among other things. The people of Ganvié pass most of their day on the water and climb back up to their homes when it becomes too dark and mosquito infested to navigate. 

Passing through the city, looking up at the buildings towering over our heads was quite the experience. The structures are modest in Beninois terms, and probably would be considered shacks in Canada. Still, their strength and durability is impressive, and what the city lack in flashiness it makes up in rich history and wonder. The habitants of Ganvié are descendants of a kingdom of people who lived on the present day border shared by Togo and Benin, close to the coast. When the slave trade in West Africa brought war to their land in the late 1770s, they left their homes to become nomadic. One day their king and leader received a spiritual message from a messenger eagle and crocodile that the people should settle on the lagoon and there they would remain safe. Thus, Ganvié is the French interpretation of the word in their language meaning “place of safety and peace”.

It is remarkable how people can live, and furthermore find happiness in such different manners. I can’t imagine how my life would be if most of it was spent on water, as much as many of them must not be able to imagine how life would be if most of it was lived on land. The people of Ganvié live a simple life: many of them don’t have more than the basic necessities, but most have what they need to live happily, and that’s what matters. This city on stilts not only offers a view of the incredible adaptability of humanity, but also a view into how there is a wisdom in the way people of more humble backgrounds find happiness in their lives. Appreciation of the little things in life: who would’ve thunk it?