Beautiful Benin

Poverty in Benin is unlike anything we in the United States can imagine. The people have nothing. The life expectancy is just 52 years. 50% of Benin’s population does not have access to clean water. The statistics go on and on. Yet, despite all of that, when we have visited this tiny country (slightly smaller than Pennsylvania), we have always been overwhelmed by the physical and spiritual beauty that exists there.

As we drove down the road on one particular trip, we passed a woman (pictured) carrying an enormous tray of carrots on her head. The carrots were a gleaming shade of orange, and they were so strategically arranged on the tray that it appeared if one carrot was removed, the entire bunch would tumble to the ground. We stopped and asked the woman if we could take her picture. She agreed, and the smile on her face reflects her pride in what she was doing, as well as the perfection of the moment.

Our travels to Benin remind us that beauty exits in the simple things – perfectly balanced carrots on a tray; the brilliant smiles of village boys playing in the afternoon sun. And beauty radiates from within the people who live there. Their spirits are warm and rich, despite the fact that they have so very little.

Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.

Benin is in Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo. Benin is made up of a total of 112,620 sq km (which makes it slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania in the USA) with 110,620 sq km being land and roughly 2,000 sq km is water.

Benin borders the countries of Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo and is mostly flat to an undulating plain with some hills and low mountains. Benin's climate is tropical with hot and humid weather in the south while being semiarid to the north.

Benin's highest point is Mont Sokbaro (658 m high) and the sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands.

Population of Benin is almost 7.5 million, yet life expectancy is only a little over 52 years. This is due to the high concentrations of HIV/AIDS (1.9%) and the very high food or waterborne diseases (bacterial and protozoal diarrhea), hepatitis A, typhoid fever, vectorborne diseases (malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations), and respiratory disease (meningococcal meningitis).

The Beninese are a growing Christian community with over 30% actively participating. French is the official language with Fon and Yaruba spoken as well.

Literacy rates in Benin are only slightly over 33% in this Republic. Porto-Novo is the official capital with Cotonou holding the seat of government. Benin celebrates their independence on August 1 (National Day) and currently has a legal system based on French civil law and customary law.

The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere. As a result, smuggling and criminality along the Benin-Nigeria border has been on the rise.

Benin's leader is President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996) - the president is both the chief of state and head of government.

Two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and the states expect a ruling in 2005 from the ICJ over the disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; a joint task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary with Nigeria, including the sovereignty over seven villages along the Okpara River; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones