Speaking of Africa, I have traveled to almost all major African countries. There is no heat, famine, or poverty as people in the country imagine. Didn't see how rich it was. Poor countries, such as Benin, have been there three times.
Benin Thatched House The Republic of Benin, referred to as "Benin", is located in the south-central part of Africa, covering an area of 11With 30,000 square kilometers and the Gulf of Guinea to the south, Benin is one of the least developed countries in the world, with a per capita GDP of $1,220.
Locals raise cattle for a living Benin is a relatively distinctive African country, each village has a king, and there are ministers and retinues when traveling, and the king has a large group of wives, even if it is a small village, the king has several wives.
Polygamy in Benin has a population of more than 10 million, including more than 60 tribes, mainly the Feng and Baliba ethnic groups. The official language of Benin is French, with 18 other dialects, which are also spoken by local literacy centres and television stations, but there is no official script.
Local Indigenous Beninese carvings are famous all over the world and are one of the world's art models, and in 1280, the Kingdom of Benin gradually mastered the art of carving after learning the art of casting from Ife.
Benin's carvings are famous all over the world Benin has many religious beliefs, among which ** religion, traditional religion and Islam are their main religions, fetishism, also known as "voodoo" originated in Benin.
There are many religious beliefs in Benin Men who believe in Islam can marry four wives, but many people do not allow it financially, and there are many singles.
Local women Benin is ranked 167th in the world in the Human Development Index.
The legal tender of Benin is the CFA franc, the full name is the CFA franc, also known as the West African CFA franc, 93 CFA francs are equivalent to 1 yuan. The local minimum wage is 40,000 CFA francs, which is equivalent to about 430 yuan.
The legal tender is the CFA franc The capital of Benin is in Cotonou, a beautiful coastal city, the buildings here are full of girlish hearts, white and pink paint everywhere, and the rent of a two-story building is about 300,000 CFA francs per month, equivalent to 3,300 yuan per month, which is still very good value for money.
The capital of Benin is in Cotonou Because it is a coastal city, the local fish is abundant, crabs are about 10 yuan per catty, lobster is 30 yuan per catty.
Crabs cost about 10 yuan per catty
Local fishermen Benin's oil is very cheap, many people say that the gasoline here is only a liter of a dollar, in fact, it is a bit exaggerated, a liter of gasoline is about 450 African francs, equivalent to 4 yuan8 yuan, which is also very cheap.
Benin's Oil Is Very Cheap Oil prices are so cheap that many people, because of poverty, do not hesitate to take risks to smuggle oil, and they can make a net profit of more than 50 billion yuan a year through oil smuggling.
Take a risk to smuggle oil The kind of white stone often seen on the roadside is called white silica, which is very popular with local pregnant women and thinks that it can supplement calcium, so don't follow suit.
The kind of white stone that is often seen on the roadside The infant mortality rate in Benin is as high as 64 per cent, the average life expectancy of the population is less than 60 years, and the average life expectancy of men is only 58 years.
The average life expectancy of men is only 58 years There are only two universities in Benin, the National University of Benin, now known as the University of Abomey Calavi and the other university called the University of Parakou, with a literacy rate of less than 40 per cent.
*Literacy rate is less than 40% Benin is considered one of the most civilized countries in Africa, and many tourists will go to explore, and many people just get off the plane from Benin, and they will not feel very dry, but the sea breeze of the tide. Benin's tourism revenue exceeds $12 million per year.
Benin is considered one of the most human-civilized countries in AfricaIn the impression of our countrymen, Africa seems to be a boundless desert, in fact, there is also a "Venice water city" in Benin, called "Gangvière Water Village", not as prosperous as Venice, but the way of life is similar, the 30,000 Beninese people living here, all year round, no matter food, clothing, housing and transportation are on the boat.
The Fulani are a nomadic people scattered throughout West Africa, and are more fierce and domineering than other tribes. The Fulani are a cross-border ethnic group in West Africa. Also known as Firani, Fula, Fur, Pall, Fulbe, etc. It is the fourth largest ethnic group in Africa, after Egyptians, Hausa and Algerians. It is found over a wide area of West and Central Africa.
The last time I traveled to Benin was in 2020, before the epidemic, and accompanied by a local guide, I took a lollipop adventure to visit the Fulani settlement in Benin; Witnessing the greed and rudeness of women and children, and encountering fierce men, it was thrilling. However, the smile on the face of the woman selling red cheese warmed my heart.
Woman selling red cheeseThe car stopped on the side of the road. It's about a kilometre away from the Fulani settlement. We carried the pre-prepared gifts and walked slowly along the overgrown dirt path. Frankly, I was apprehensive.
The words reminded me of by a friend at the Chinese embassy kept echoing in my head: "The Fulani are fierce and domineering, often stealing cattle from other tribes, and when disputes arise, they use force to settle them. They are fiery, they are often to blame, they are difficult to get along with, and the other tribes are afraid of them. If you want to go to their settlement, it is better to choose the daytime, because it is safer for only women and children to be at home during the day. "I told the guide that I wanted to bring some gifts, and he suggested that I buy lipstick and lollipops.
Lipstick? "I thought I had misheard. "Yes, Fulani women love beauty, and they like lipstick the most, and the brighter the color, the better. As for children, it is the best place to buy lollipops, which they don't usually have a chance to eat, and they can make them sweet from hair to ankles. So, my partner and I bought 50 orange lipsticks and 200 lollipops as promised, and set off with our guide.
Red cheese is soldToday, more than 450,000 Fulani people live in central and northern Benin, a nomadic people who often travel with their cattle in search of lush green grass and abundant water.
Therefore, it is quite difficult to find their traces. Sometimes, knowing that there are many Fulani people living in a certain place, they rush there in high spirits, only to find it empty and nowhere to be found, and then they are sad to know that they have moved away. Arriving in Dassa, a city in central Benin, I was excited to smell the Fulani people. Smelled? Yes, not at all, smell.
In Dassa, I saw many women walking the streets with cow cheese dyed red with plant juice on their heads, and the bright red colors dangled to form a special sight in Dasa. The flat round cow cheese, each piece as big as a palm, is soft in the hand, poking a hole. It is fried in oil, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with both the tender texture of tofu and the glutinous taste of cheese. I fell in love with it, and I ate two in a row, and I was so tired that my eyes couldn't open them.
At this time, I was told that wherever there is red cheese**, there must be Fulani people, because the Fulani women make red cheese for a living. Red cheese is also a staple of the Fulani people's daily diet – their diet is less meat and vegetables, the cheese is full-filling, and it has undergone a process of soaking in vegetable juice to make it last longer. Fulani women also often exchange delicious red cheese for other everyday items at the market.
We didn't hesitate to ask around, and sure enough, there was a Fulani settlement nearby, where more than 200 Fulani lived. We found a guide who was fluent in fulfulde (Fula language) and asked him to show us the way. He warns us that the Fulani are not a friendly and hospitable people and must be dealt with carefully. I think, the visitor is a guest, and the villain shouldn't hit the smiling person, right?
Settlement of the Fulani peopleThat morning, the scorching sun was as hard as metal, and it hurt when it hit me. Sweat turned into thousands of earthworms, wriggling wantonly on their bodies, even the disgusting flies became dying, and the flamboyant mosquitoes could not fly.
As I walked, I saw many thatched-roofed huts scattered on the solid mud floor. Since relocation is the norm of the Fulani people's life, their houses are always built at will, which is conducive to relocation; To describe it as "four walls of the family" is by no means an exaggeration. As we walked, walked, and got closer and closer, a boy who was playing in front of the hut saw us, and suddenly let out an earth-shattering shout, which was like a code, and countless boys and girls surrounded us like a fountain that suddenly burst out of the ground; Their mother, too, followed ...... in a hurry
Local kids and moms We were so tightly surrounded that I felt like I was going to suffocate! The tour guide shouted at the top of his voice: "Stand out, back away!" We'll give you candy! As a result, as soon as I opened a dozen plastic bags full of lollipops, a pair of brute hands reached out, like flying snakes, and the noisy shouts came one after another: "Give it to me!" Give me! Some people simply reach out and grab it, the kind of fierce, domineering, greedy, unreasonable and rude, is no different from ...... legendWithout spinning the heels, 200 lollipops were "distributed" in extreme chaos. Fearing that the scene that had gotten out of control would become uncontrollable, the tour guide clutched the bag of lipstick and suspended the distribution.
When the children saw that we could no longer conjure up lollipops, they reluctantly dispersed, and then happily licked the lollipops they had snatched. The problem is that some people grab two or three, while others can't get one, so another battle begins, and the cries of children and mothers turn into a swarm of hornets that scatter and attack people.
Gleefully licking the lollipop we grabbed The tour guide led us around in the chaos, inside the hut, empty, dark during the day, dark at night. With no water or electricity**, the women have to walk miles a day to fetch water from a nearby river. Cheese and millet porridge are the staple foods of the stomach; And the inexhaustible milk gives them the nutrients their bodies need. Food and clothing are their only requirements for life; Having children is their main goal in life - having more children and raising more happiness index. However, raising but not educating has added many thorny problems to society that are difficult to solve.
Local mosquitoes and fliesI noticed that, in spite of their poverty, the women of Fulani were well-dressed—headscarves, shawls, and clothes were perfectly matched; And the color of the fabric is also colorful and beautiful.
In this regard, the guide said: "Yes, although other ethnic groups see the Fulani as backward nomads, they still think very highly of themselves - the Fulani women are good at weaving, and they like to dress themselves up beautifully to show their dignity. ”
Outside the male lead, inside the female lead, the division of labor between men and women is strict. Fulani women stay at home, take care of their children, cook their daily meals, milk cows, and make butter and cheese. They are diligent in farming, planting taro, cassava, millet, etc., and they often go as far as the mountains and forests to pick wild fruits. In their spare time, they are engaged in knitting and sewing, and there are always chores in their lives.
The main job of men is to find pasture for grazing and take care of livestock. Sometimes, they go away for days away from their homes to graze, and the cattle wander out to graze, so they set up tents nearby.
The women of Fulani were well-dressedFor the Fulani people, cattle are their most important asset and a status symbol. In other words, the cow is the center of their lives.
The more cattle a Fulani man has, the more admired he becomes, and the average woman chooses a mate based on the number of cattle the man owns. Once the woman agrees to the marriage, the man must also give two cows to his parents-in-law when he pays the bride price. At market prices, a sturdy cow sells for up to 500,000 CFA francs. In daily life, dairy products such as milk and cheese are their main income; Therefore, apart from the old and sick cows, the Fulani people rarely have ** cattle, and in general, they do not eat beef.
Local children put on lipstick When parting, the tour guide took out the lipstick and distributed it to the women, he was right, as soon as the Fulani women saw the lipstick, their faces immediately turned into soft marshmallows, and even their breath had a sweet smell. The sharp-eyed children saw it and flocked to it again, and this time, the mother and the child fell into a chaotic battle together......One of the naughty boys, after snatching a lipstick, turned around and scribbled on the lips and face of the other boy, playing with the lipstick as a paintbrush!
Local herdsAfter leaving the Fulani settlement, after driving for miles, passing a large green meadow, I saw several men with long whips, guarding a large herd of cattle, and the guide said, "Look, they are Fulani men." ”
The sight of the cows munching on the green grass under the blue sky and white clouds was spectacular, and I said, "Stop, stop!" Jumping out of the car, raising the camera, and about to take a picture of this moving scene, he didn't expect that a man would wave the whip in his hand vigorously, making a "whoosh" sound, and rushed over from a distance like a bison viciously, and let out a wolf's howl: "You! Stop it! Don't shoot! Yusuf nervously shouted: "Hurry, hurry! Get in the car! "I threw myself into the car, and the driver drove away; The Fulani man, waving his whip, shouted at the departing car! Wow, the ferocity of the Fulani people is well deserved!
The tour guide, who is well versed in the life and customs of the Fulani people, is also well aware of the psychological conditions of the Fulani people in Benin. He pointed out that the Fulani migrated from North Africa or the Middle East to West Africa centuries ago, and were scattered in Benin, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and other countries. Their on-the-go lifestyle makes it difficult for them to integrate into the lives of the locals. The two are like water and oil, they can't be mixed together.
It is difficult for them to integrate into the lives of the localsThe tour guide said in a nutshell: "I think that the fierceness and toughness of the Fulani people may be a mask of self-arming. They are bent on believing that fear is a sign of weakness in character, so they will never reveal their deepest fear to anyone. They are afraid of the loneliness that the world abandons, however, in real life, they are a lonely people living in isolation; In order to hide this unknown weak mentality, they show a strong face on the outside.
The Fulani children are very arrogant and domineering, and the worst thing is that this is exactly the character that parents want to shape for their children, so they deliberately indulge them. In this way, it has been passed down from generation to generation, and a conventional stereotype of the Fulani people has been formed; However, if you have the opportunity to enter their inner world, you may find that there may be a difference between the superficial perception and the real situation. ”
Her smile is like a string of wind chimes on her heartThe next day, when I met a Fulani woman selling red cheese in the streets of Daza, I would stop and take out 600 CFA francs and buy her two pieces of red cheese.
There is a language barrier between us, but a smile is an international language; When she handed me the red cheese, a smile as bright and full as Qiu Ju's face appeared. As I pinched the red cheese and chewed it slowly, the smiling faces of the Fulani women turned into a small wind chime that they hung in their hearts, and whether the wind came or went, it "tinkled" and ......
"Unforgettable Africa" - Anonymous
After the rains of the dry season,
The market is slowly dissipating
Africa,
You're incredible
If you don't move, you will be as new for ten thousand years.
Three black men talking on the side of the road,
Irregular rudimentary course on the slopes,
Rust-colored tin roof,
Donkey on reddish-brown earth,
Innocent beautiful children,
Endless wilderness as far as the eye can see
Africa,
You are speechless
You don't complain or get angry
You are eternal.