Benin > A look at the Somba tribes

The new year starts with a strong wind. My tent rocks back and forth, and the wind blows straight through the fabric. In the middle of the night, I move my travel bag so I can lie behind it, sheltered from the wind.

Benin - A woman cleans the pans in Koussoukoungou

Deep in my sleeping bag, I quickly fall asleep. The next morning, I wake up at half past seven. Still a bit tired, I join the others for breakfast. With Matthias, I walk into the village of Koussou-Koungou. Matthias is from the village and shows us the various houses of the Somba tribe. In one of the Tata houses, we visit the upper floor. I find it remarkable that the construction is exactly the same as the Tamberma houses in Togo. During the walk, we meet several families and are allowed to look around their compounds. Women are pounding nuts, barley is drying, and children play with old tires. At an old baobab tree, we pause for a moment. The tree is hollow inside, with enough space for ten people to stand within it. It takes nine of us holding hands to embrace the tree completely. A little further along, we meet Casmir. He has a kind of potato with him and offers us a taste. He laughs when he recognizes me from the party and offers me the potato. I politely decline. After about three hours of walking through the surroundings, we return to the main road, where our bus is waiting to take us back to the camp in Koussou-Koungou. After lunch, there is free time. Some people visit a monastery in the village in the afternoon. I head to the primitive shower. The washing area is surrounded by a one-and-a-half-meter-high clay wall. I pour water from a bucket and use the bottom of a plastic bottle to pour it over myself. The water, warmed by the sun, is at least pleasantly hot. After washing and shaving, I retreat to my tent with my book. A nice moment of complete relaxation. In the evening, just before dinner, the guide of the French travel group comes to apologize for the behavior of his group the night before.