Girls Club and Beninese History

Mar 23

3 min read

Il y a trois jours! That means it’s been a minute or two. Figuratively speaking. I’ve been very busy these past two weeks.

Two weeks ago, I launched English Club on Wednesdays and Girls Club on Fridays. The turn out for both events was more than enough to satisfy me. In English Club, we learned an English song (no spoilers, as it will be featured in English camp) and I also asked students what else they’d like to do in our club. It was quite chaotic but also a lot of fun.

Girls club meant a lot to me. It was incredible to gather all the girls in one place and affirm that we have the same qualities and deserve the same rights as men. I also loved sharing powerful African women with my students. It was a small way to tell them that they can go far if they dream big.

The boys felt rather left out, and they kept trying to crash the club. They didn’t get why they couldn’t join in, and it felt difficult to explain all the contextual details of how women in Benin often don’t benefit from their own spaces in the same way their male counterparts do, or the way that female enrollment in second cycle classes (10th-12th grade) takes a larger dip than male enrollment does. I want a space for my boys, too, where we can have these conversations and they can learn how to set goals for their own futures and also acknowledge and support their female classmates. I don’t have the bandwidth to do this on my own, but I’m going to call on some of my friends.

After the business of Girls Club was done, I packed my bags and headed to the Zou department to see my friends Messay and Catherine. I was also there for an official lunch, but that was more of a bonus in my mind. Since I haven’t spent much time in Zou, I asked if we could head to Abomey, the city that is considered the cultural capitol of Benin. Abomey is the home of powerful royal families and their palaces. We visited one of the palaces and the public square. At the square, we found this statue of Béhanzin (1840-1906, ruled 1890-1894), the kingdom of Dahomey’s eleventh king, who stood valiantly against the French in the Dahomey wars. In the end, he surrendered, as the French military had them outpowered. France was scared of him, and so they banished him to the island nation Martinique. Before Benin was Benin, Dahomey was the largest kingdom, and once it was colonized, the region became known as French Dahomey. I love that Benin honors their sovereignty, past and present. It’s significant to me that many of the statues in Benin are anti-colonial and honor Benin first. Statues can be a form of protest; a statement! I was honored to see it. I can’t wait to visit Abomey again, as I know I’ve only taken in a small pice of what there is to see.

Photo: The King Béhanzin arrives at Martinique

Spending time with Catherine and Messay was a much needed reset for me, especially after the business of the week before.You can never underestimate how much good friends are worth. I’ll be heading back soon.