Porto-Novo (Portuguese for 'New Port',Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈpoɾtuˈnovu],French pronunciation:[pɔʁtɔnɔvo];Yoruba:Àjàṣẹ́;Fon:Xɔ̀gbónù; also known asHogbonu andAjashe) is thecapital andsecond-largest city ofBenin. The commune covers an area of 52 square kilometres (20 sq mi) and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people.[2][3]
In 1863, following British bombardment, Porto-Novo accepted French protection, and by 1900, it became the capital ofFrench Dahomey.[4] After Benin's independence in 1960, Porto-Novo retained its status as the official capital, whileCotonou emerged as the economic and administrative hub.[5]
Situated on an inlet of theGulf of Guinea, in the southeastern portion of the country, the city was originally developed as a port for thetransatlanticslave trade led by thePortuguese Empire. It is Benin's second-largest city, and although it is the official capital, where the national legislature sits, the larger city ofCotonou is theseat of government, where most of the government buildings are situated and government departments operate.
Porto-Novo was once a tributary of theYorubaOyo Empire,[6][7] which had offered it protection from the neighbouringFon, who were expanding their influence and power in the region. Today, the Yoruba community in Porto-Novo remains one of the two original ethnic groups in the city. The city was originally calledAjashe (Àjàṣẹ́ in Yoruba orthography) by the Yorubas, andHogbonu by theGun.[citation needed]
Although historically the original inhabitants of the area wereYoruba speaking, there seems to have been a wave of migration from the region ofAllada further west in the 1600s, which brought Te-Agbalin (or Tê-Agbanlin) and his group to the region of Ajashe in the late 16th century.[8][citation needed]
In 1730, the Portuguese Eucaristo de Campos named the city "Porto-Novo." Although colonizers claim the name was due to its resemblance to the city ofPorto,[9][10] the real reason was to signal the development of a new port for theslave trade.[11]
In 1861, theBritish, who were active in nearbyNigeria, bombarded the city, which caused the Kingdom of Porto-Novo to accept theFrench offer of protection in 1863.[12] The neighbouringKingdom of Dahomey objected to French involvement in the region and war broke out between the two states. In 1883, Porto-Novo was incorporated into the French "colony ofDahomey and its dependencies" and in 1900, it became Dahomey's capital city.[8] As a consequence, the city’s inhabitants, who previously spoke local languages, began to adopt French alongside them, with the addition of French to the language repertoire of the city's inhabitants.[citation needed] Unlike the city's earlierGun migrants, however, the French sought to impose their language in all spheres of life and completely stamp out the use and proliferation of indigenous languages.[citation needed]
Porto-Novo (1887)
The kings of Porto-Novo continued to rule in the city, both officially and unofficially, until the death of the last king,Alohinto Gbeffa, in 1976.[8] From 1908, the king held the title ofChef supérieur.[13]
Under French colonial rule, flight across the newborder to British-ruledNigeria in order to avoid harsh taxation, military service and forced labour was common.[citation needed] Of note is the fact that the Nigeria-Benin southern border area arbitrarily cuts through contiguous areas of Yoruba andEgun-speaking people. A combination of the aforementioned facts, coupled with the fact that the city itself lies within the sphere of Nigerian socioeconomic influence, have given Porto-Novians a preference for some measure of bi-nationality or dual citizenship, with the necessary linguistic consequences; for example, Nigerian home video films in Yoruba with English subtitles have become popular in Porto-Novo and its suburbs.[citation needed]
Benin's parliament (Assemblée nationale) is in Porto-Novo, the official capital, but most other government institutions, including the presidency, are located inCotonou.[14]
Porto-Novo is served by an extension of theBénirail train system.[citation needed] Privately owned motorcycle taxis known aszemijan are used throughout the city.[17] The city is located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away fromCotonou Airport, which has flights to major cities in West Africa and Europe.
Porto-Novo had an enumerated population of 264,320 in 2013.[1] As of 2023, estimates suggest a population of around 300,000. The residents are mostlyYoruba and Gun people as well as people from other parts of the country, and from neighbouringNigeria.
Porto-Novo is located in the south of Benin, 13 kilometers from theAtlantic Ocean, separated by alagoon.[18] Its altitude is approximately 38 meters[19] and it covers an area of 52 km².[20]
Porto-Novo has atropical savanna climate (KöppenAw) with consistently hot and humid conditions and two wet seasons: a long wet season from March to July and a shorter rain season in September and October. The city’s location on the edge of theDahomey Gap makes it much drier than would be expected so close to the equator, although it is less dry thanAccra orLomé.
King Toffa's Palace (also known as theMusée Honmé and the Royal Palace), now a museum, shows what life was like for African royalty.[8] The palace and the surrounding district was added to theUNESCOWorld Heritage Tentative List on October 31, 1996 in the Cultural category.[22]
Jardin Place Jean Bayol is a large plaza which contains a statue of the first King of Porto-Novo.
The Da Silva Museum is a museum of Beninese history.[8] It shows what life was like for the returning Afro-Brazilians.
Thepalais de Gouverneur (governor's palace) is the home of the national legislature.
The Isèbayé Foundation is a museum ofVoodoo and Beninese history.[8]
Adjogan music is endemic to Porto-Novo.[23] The style of music is played on analounloun, a stick with metallic rings attached which jingle in time with the beating of the stick.[citation needed] The alounloun is said to descend from the staff of office of King Te-Agdanlin and was traditionally played to honour the King and his ministers.[citation needed] The music is also played in the city'sRoman Catholic churches, but the royal bird crest symbol has been replaced with a cross.[citation needed]
The new Temple of Abessan building, designed to resemble a termite mound and built in 2007[25][26][27]The Zangbeto Shrine, national headquarters of theZangbeto, built in 2007
In 2007, as part of the development of tourist attractions in the city, two new monumental buildings related to Voodoo were constructed, financed by the Benin Chamber of Commerce (CCB) and designed by an architectural firm.[28][29] The first of these was a new temple building dedicated to the god Abessan (or Avessan) consisting of a 10-metre-tall tower designed to resemble atermite mound. This design was inspired by the mythical emergence of Abessan from a termite mound.[30][31][32] This modern building is not a reconstruction of an earlier temple but rather a new construction and design inspired by the mythical origin of Abessan.[28] The current structure replaced an earlier temple building which was a small circular hut.[30] The second was a new building for the national headquarters of theZangbeto, which is designed to resemble a large cone made ofraffia and represents the figure of Kpakliyaho (the ancestor of the Zangbeto).[33] The construction of these new monuments was part of the CCB’s plan to make Porto-Novo the "hub of world tourism for the worship of theVodun religion". These new buildings with their original designs have been strongly criticized by some heritage conservationists.[34]
^Foster, F. Blanche (1971).Dahomey. F. Watts. p. 49.ISBN978-0-531-00720-4.A large agricultural school in Porto Novo prepares its students for their role in manufacturing such goods as soap, exported palm oil, cotton, and kapok.
^McColl, R. W. (14 May 2014).Encyclopedia of World Geography. Infobase Publishing. p. 90.ISBN978-0-8160-7229-3.
^Emma-Christiane Leite, "Dynamique des écosystèmes aquatiques au Bénin : le cas du complexeNokoué Lake-lagoon of Porto-Novo", in Koffi Atta, Tanga Pierre Zoungrana et al.,Logiques paysannes et espaces agraires en Afrique, Karthala, 2010, pp. 273–290.ISBN9782811103699
^Cousin, Saskia (2013). "Extension du domaine de la restauration. Porto-Novo capitale: entre vision patrimoniale, modernité vodun et regard touristique".Porto-Novo: patrimoine et développement. Éditions de la Sorbonne. pp. 441–458.doi:10.4000/12r6g.
^abJuhé-Beaulaton, Dominique (2009)."Le vodou au cœur des processus de création et de patrimonialisation au Bénin".Africa e Mediterraneo.67:16–20.Le temple d'Avessan (photo) représente un autre exemple de transition encore plus avancée dans la monumentalité avec la construction récente (décembre 2007) d'une termitière géante d'une dizaine de mètres évoquant le mythe d'apparition du vodou Avessan, monstre à neuf têtes sorti d'une termitière, dont l'origine remonte à l'installation de trois chasseurs yoruba. Ce bâtiment abrite désormais le siège du vodou et un musée dont les aménagements ont été réalisés par un cabinet d'architectes et financés par la Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Porto Novo. Le site est encore marqué par deux espèces végétales, mais il n'y a plus d'iroko. On assiste ainsi à l'apparition de nouveaux processus patrimoniaux où le végétal est de moins en moins présent et les éléments naturels, comme la termitière, remplacés par un édifice original dans sa conception car inspiré du récit d'origine."English translation:"The Avessan temple (photo) represents another example of an even more advanced transition in monumentality with the recent construction (December 2007) of a giant termite mound measuring around ten meters, evoking the myth of the appearance of the Avessan voodoo, a nine-headed monster that emerged from a termite mound, whose origins date back to the arrival of three Yoruba hunters. This building now houses the headquarters of the voodoo and a museum, which was designed by an architectural firm and financed by the Porto Novo Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The site is still marked by two plant species, but there are no longer any iroko trees. We are thus witnessing the emergence of new heritage processes in which plants are less and less present and natural elements, such as termite mounds, are replaced by buildings that are original in their design because they are inspired by the story of their origin.
^abHouénoudé, Didier."RÉNOVATION ET VALORISATION DE LA PLACE ABÊSSAN ET DES FAÇADES DES MAISONS SITUÉES DANS LA RUE MENANT VERS LE SITE DES TROIS CHASSEURS YOROUBA DANS LE QUARTIER AKRON: DOSSIER TECHNIQUE"(PDF).ouadada.com.Dans les années 2006-2007, le temple a fait l'objet d'une reconstruction financée par le président de la Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie du Bénin d'alors, lui-même yoruba originaire de Porto-Novo. Le résultat de cette reconstruction fut une interprétation au premier degré du mythe dans sa version fantastique. Ainsi, à la place de la petite case circulaire originelle, l'on érigea une termitière géante sous forme de tour aux allures des châteaux-forts d'Europe médiévale. Au sommet de la termitière géante, émerge des têtes de serpent, neuf pour faire allusion au monstre à neuf têtes. La tour est surmontée aujourd'hui d'une tête humaine dorée arborant une couronne elle aussi dorée."English translation: "In 2006-2007, the temple underwent reconstruction financed by the then president of the Benin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, himself a Yoruba native of Porto-Novo. The result of this reconstruction was a literal interpretation of the myth in its fantastical version. Thus, in place of the original small circular hut, a giant termite mound was erected in the form of a tower resembling the fortified castles of medieval Europe. At the top of the giant termite mound, nine snake heads emerge, alluding to the nine-headed monster. Today, the tower is topped by a golden human head wearing a golden crown.
^Cousin, Saskia (2015). "Hidden Heritage? Tourism and Vodun in Porto-Novo".Anthropology as a Driver for Tourism Research. Garant. pp. 69–91.two important monuments financed by local economic organizations have been erected in the last few years in honour of traditional societies and of Vodun: the national headquarters of the Zangbeto, in the form of a monumental cone made of raffia representing the figure of Kpakliyaho (the ancestor of the Zangbeto) [Figure 4.3] and the giant termite mound which is intended to replace the old temple dedicated to Avessan (or Abory Messan), a Yoruba divinity who founded the city of Hogbonou, before the arrival of the Gouns … These temples were financed by the Benin Chamber of Commerce (CCB) … They are part of the 'important tourist sites' in the city restoration project desired by the Benin Republic President, and large banners invite visitors to enter. The CCB's avowed objective as explained on its website is to make of Porto-Novo the 'hub of world tourism for the worship of the Vodun religion' (Ahigni, 2006). Brand new and propounding a somewhat unorthodox interpretation of myths and legends, these buildings satisfy neither concerns to preserve cultural heritage, nor those of presenting historical truth or anthropological reality.
^Cousin, Saskia (2013). "Extension du domaine de la restauration. Porto-Novo capitale: entre vision patrimoniale, modernité vodun et regard touristique".Porto-Novo: patrimoine et développement. Éditions de la Sorbonne. pp. 441–458.doi:10.4000/12r6g.
^"Government page on Fassassi" (in French). Archived from the original on November 19, 2003. Retrieved2007-05-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
Sappho Charney (1996)."Porto-Novo (Oueme, Benin)". In Noelle Watson (ed.).International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa. UK: Routledge. p. 588+.ISBN1884964036.
.jpg)
