Travel Guide Ouidah

Once a major port on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, Ouidah is today a historical center with a rich (and often very heavy) history, of which the Portuguese Fort is the centerpiece. It used to house a museum devoted in part to the slave trade, of which Ouidah was one of the main ports in West Africa, before closing for major work. It will indeed host, in late 2022 or early 2023, the International Museum of Memory and Slavery (Mime) behind its walls. This is one of the many projects underway as part of the colossal project to develop Benin's heritage undertaken by the government Otherwise, a few buildings of Afro-Brazilian architecture (including that of the Fondation Zinsou) are another testimony to the rich past of Ouidah, which, even today, is one of the Beninese centers of vodun. While strolling through its streets, you may come face to face with a zangbeto or a fetishist One thing is sure, despite the major works that disfigured the city during our visit in the summer of 2022, Ouidah is an unmissable getaway during a trip to Benin.