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Ganvie is Africa’s Largest City On Water – WODE MAYA (Video)

WODE MAYA has uploaded his newest video, which proves that Ganvie is Africa’s Largest City on Water. The unbelievable scenes, life and people, and sounds from Ganvie truly tell another great African story. Ganvie is found in Benin, and lies in Lake Nokoué, near Cotonou.

There is a rich history behind how the people of Ganvie in Benin ended up living on this river which connects to the sea. The Ganvie village is worth being called a city because, it is an entire town with everything you would find in a city from Churches, to Hotels, to Salons, to Mosques, to markets all on water.

One fascinating discovery is that, because the only means of transportation are canoes, the children of the village developed difficulty in walking. The community decided to build artificial land on the river where children will have the opportunity to walk and play football.

According to the tour guide who led WODE MAYA to the village, Ganvie, Africa’s Largest City on water, lacks nothing and leaves in a natural environment.

The main occupation of the people is fishing and weaving, while the luxury of the village is having a canoe. Water paths between homes at Ganvie are also named, just like streets on land in big cities. The popular street here is Lover’s Street, where lovers meet at night for discussions and more.

Facts About Ganvie

Ganvie has a population of about 40,000 dwellers.
The village is built in the middle of lake Nokoué.
The village was created during the Slave Trade in the 18th Century.
During the slave trade era, the local Topino tribe wanted to escape from the Slave raiders from the Dahomey Kingdom in Benin.
The indigenous people captured by slave raiders sold the captives to Portuguese traders.
But since the religion of the area forbade capturing people living on the water, the 18th-century indigents of the area decided to build their home on the river.
This helped them to escape from slave raiders, who were forbidden by their religious beliefs to harm the Tofino people living on the Ganvie river.
The Tofino people started making the shallow waters and islands of Lake Nokoue a haven that has become home to over 40,000 people and the African largest city on water.
The Ganvie villagers are often referred to as “water men” and the area itself is often called the “Venice of Africa.”
Originally based on farming, the village’s main industries other than tourism are now fishing and fish farming.