Gogounou - Gogounou

Gogounou is a city of Northern Benin.

To know

The charm of the city cannot be tasted while hastily commuting in a taxi or private bus. Market day, every Friday, brings colorful vendors of a potpourri of cultures. Tourists will see Bariba, Peuhl, Tuareg and Guando in their unique, vibrant and eye-catching dress.

The bazaar offers a mix of items that vary in utility; alongside those who sell mangoes, tomatoes and rice, you can find a traditional jewelry seller or a voodoo healer who dresses dried crocodile pearls, bat wings and snake skins.

A strong Muslim presence is also reflected in the market. Gilded decorated copies of the Quran, prayer mats and beads, and embroidered hats are common items. The 5pm call to prayer is also an impressive demonstration of the strong and rich cultural diversity of the normally quiet village.

Geographical notes

It is located 35 km south of Kandi and borders to the north with the municipalities of Banikoara and Kandi, south with Bembèrèkè, Sinendé is Kalalé, to the east with Ségbana and to the west with Kérou.

When to go

The best times of the year to visit this city:

• from October to January for good weather, the Tabaski (local name ofId al-adha and Ramadan.
• in April, for the feast of the Bariba.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By car

The city is crossed by the RNIE 2 interstate highway which connects among the many, Parakou to Kandi.

A taxi from Parakou costs 2000 CFA while from Kandi 500 CFA.

How to get around

What see

Events and parties

• Feast of the Bariba. April. After that of Nikki, Zoungou-Pantrossi (21km west of Gogounou) hosts another Bariba party. Horseback riding, parading kings, dancing folk groups - culture! The exact date changes every year. 

What to do

• Wildlife observation (TO Zoungou-Pantrossi). 

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

• Bean balls and fried potatoes on the way to Bagou.
• Yam Pilee (i.e. mashed potatoes) - Center of the village, opposite the market and the bus station.

Average prices

• d34 (trois puissance quatre) (On the highway at the north end of the city on the west side of the road). * Excellent Beninese home cooking at this bar / restaurant. 

Where stay

It is preferable to stay in private houses in Kandi (42 km north) where you will find air conditioning, water, etc. Some houses have electricity from 16:00 to 24:00. In any case, any place in Gogounou will make up for the lack of luxury with genuine hospitality.

Safety

How to keep in touch

Post office

Gogounou has a post office.

Telephony

The city of Gogounou has a fax phone service and four cellular communication services available since August 2009. These are Bell Benin (BBcom), Global Com (Glo), MTN and Moov. GSM networks are capable of providing access to the Internet via mobile devices.

Around

Useful information

As of May 2009, Gogounou has five hours of electricity per night between 7 pm and midnight.

The two main sources of water in Gogounou are wells and foot pumps.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Gogounou
• Commons contains images or other files on Gogounou

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