Venice of Africa: Benin's thriving lake market

Imagine living in the middle of a lake? For the people of Benin’s Ganvie city, this is the daily norm.

Ganvie – Benin. Venetia Africii! https://t.co/1RPv4OGnxx pic.twitter.com/l4DUtRD2CG

— Florin Popescu (@Florin10Popescu) April 25, 2016

Popularly referred to as the Venice of Africa, the lake city is a famous meeting point for fishermen, businessmen and clients.

“Almost everything that is sold in the ordinary market, is found here. The market is very active from 4 am in the morning until noon. When fishing is successful, we are doing good business,’‘ said Gisele Dossou, a trader in the market.

Ganvie is one of Benin’s tourist attraction sites with an average of 10,000 tourists visiting every year.

It has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and authorities in the country say it attracts an average of 10,000 tourists annually.