BENIN
A country in part remarkable for its culture, where Voodoo is practiced daily as an embedded religion and which oftentimes juxtaposes with Christianity or Islamity.
As part of Benin's deep culture, slavery has also marked the country as one of the main "departure point" to reach the Americas. In the 18th and 19th centuries, slaves sold to Ouidah walked 131 km between Abomey and the Gate of no-return on the Benin coast. They were chained and penned up on the decks of ships for three months of navigation. Along with Lagos, Ouidah was one of the two busiest ports during the slave period, deporting more than two million slaves.
Having become a communist country over a decade after declaring its independence in 1960, Benin is now considered to be one of the most stable countries in West Africa. The country took part in a democratic transition in 1990, leading to renewed and more reliable political institutions.