Cotonou, Place to Go Borgou

Destination : Nikki

NIKKI city is located in the eastern area of the department of Borgou, North-East Benin, the largest department of the country with 51.000 km square of the national land.The most important city in its district and a frequented thoroughfare, NIKKI is 555 km, far away from Cotonou, 115 km from Parakou and 20 km from the Nigerian boarder.A transition zone between the humid southsudanesse climate and the dry tropical climate, the region of NIKKI is endowed with a humid savannah with trees.A transition zone with a single rainy season between April-May and October, its average temperature varies from 15°c in harmattan period (December-February) to 37°c for the rest of the year. The extreme temperatures can reach 40°C in April - May. And the relative humidity goes from 20 % in January to 98 % in August.
Nikki is considered as the cradle of the BAATOMBOU called by distortion " Bariba ".

Royal Museum

The history of NIKKI is highly turbulent because of the Wassa n'gari political power that has been established beside the spiritual, religious and economic power of the native BAATOMBOU (Bariba). The coexistence of these two types of complementary powers leads to the richness and the solidity of the traditional structures of this kingdom

Gaani Fête

is still nowadays the headquarters of the traditional political power headed by the king or SINABOKO. One of the signs of the permanence of this power is undoubtedly the annual Gaani festival.

THE GAANI : SIGNIFICANCE

Gaani means joy, victory (or nassara).It is a tribal ceremony, rather animist celebrated by the continuation as the Moslem celebrations or feast This is the dance celebration, having been remodeled with Wassa n'gari era or period ; it has introduced some socio-economic changes.Gaani, is the moment of ecstasy where the Baatonu people feels more alive, where " it receives holy commions and communicated the memories that sadness moments could moke out-of-date.Gaani, is the waking of wonderful or mervellous memories, the birth and rebirth of solidarity and fraternity.Gaani, is the comprehension of Baatonu society through the loop of its cultural values.Gaani, is a true social phenomenon, a force towards which meet some juridico-political, socio-cultural and esthético-economic elements.

GAANI SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

A whole month is devoted to the funding rescarch of Gaani organisation. There are two main sources of the funds collection in order to celebrate this great or important feast.
- Donations coming from all th village of the kingdom : beast, money, food, clothes ;
- Distraints made in the past by the regional chiefs and from which valuation should be made to the king.
- Donation day, we understand Gaani best as a consumption day, riches or wealth destruction whose aim is to acqueer, to maintain, reaffirm or increase the political power or social position of the group which organises it.

The Gaani is a festival. It is the second BAATOMBOU festival after the one of " DONKONROU " (or fire jet festival) which stands for the ceremony of the New Year several versions are given to explain its beginning :

- The Gaani might be a memorial day of the amnesty of the Muslims and the pagans in general, and the Baatombou in particular, in war against one another. On the birthday of the Prophet MOHAMMED he was a ceasefire and the pagans took this opportunity to escape definitively from Islamic influence. For that reason, the GAANI always coincides with MULUD (the birthday of the Prophet). This festival takes place on the 12 th day of the third lunar month of the year according to the Baatombou.

- The Gaani might be the day of the death of the Prophet Mohammed , coinciding with his birthday. This anniversary would be celebrated by the Muslims, whereas the unfaithful pagans, the Baatombou, would celebrate the death of the prophet for their liberation from Islamic wars.

- The Gaani might be a dance to symbolize the New Year, a feast anterior to Wassangari era. As evidence, the names like " WOROU GAANI " " BIO GAANI " " SABI GAANI " " YON GAANI ", " BONA GAANI " ..were known. As a matter of fact, in Baatombou region female and male babies born during the month of the Gaani are given the first name " Gaani " in addition to their birth day first name.

At the beginning, the Gaani was celebrated everywhere in BARUWU ou BORGOU (Baatonu country). NIKKI only became the center of this festival in the days of king SOUNON SERO the first great king of Wassa n'gari political community. The new dimensions of the Gaani date back to that time.

The Gaani : different sequences.

- A month before the Gaani

The preparation of this spectacular festival starts on this Baatonu, calendar, the month of DON KON WONNON which takes the name of GAANI GOBI KASO (the month of funds providing for the Gaani).

2 - A week before the Gaani

During the week preceding the festival, the king invites to his palace certain dignitaries capable of protecting through occult means all the participants during the festival

3 - The day before the Gaani

On the eve of the festival in the evening royal drums and trumpets of SINABOKO are set up. Music is played overnight with the royal drums and trumpets by KIRIKU a musical group of the king .

4 - The festival day or SONRIKOU

If the Gaani happens to be a Friday, it is postponed to Saturday, because the king holds his cabinet meeting on Fridays.

a) 7 a. m : horse show
b) Long royal ceremonial circle

On the festival day, at 2 p.m. it occurs the stately exit of
king in the royal court to wild applause from the crowd and to the rhythm of the royal drums and trumpets and other drums and trumpets and other drums and tambourines. It is the beginning of a long ceremonial trip of 12 km or so to visit the sacred places.

The procession is made up of :

- A group of GUANKOU et BAROBOU (musicians/non-sacred drums players)

- BAA AGBAN, (formalities and security man/ the chief of the KIRIKU)

- SINADOUNWIROU : The Prime Minister in charge of the first ceremonies and sacrifices in the kingdom

- YANKPE : WOROU TOKOURA, genealogist poet and musician of the king.

- A crowd of horsemen

- Crowds of people at last.

C - SACRED PLACES TO BE VISITED

The procession constituted on this occasion visits the following places :

· Station N° 01 : LEMANNOU or DEMANNOU, the house of Magazi where the king meet IMAM and his assistant This is the moslim worship house ; he is also called IMAM, it is at 2 km far from the royal Palace.

Station N° 02 :

TOO (or TEM) YANKOU BAKARAROU, situated at 2 km 500 from the palace.This is the "greatest garbage pile" where the king says his prayers according to a particular ritual.

· Station N° 03 :

DAKIROU, located at 3 km from the palace.It is the site or location of BAKE DOUE and his brother SERO BETETE's graves or tombs who had disappeared at this place exactly after having noticed the de feat of NIKKI army against the Fulbé (Peulh).

· Station N° 04 :

BANTIAROU, at 3 km 500 the palace.Here is the place of powerful Princes where FAROU YEROUMA, lodges, a prince of great fame.
The king retakes the same prayers.

· Station N° 05 :

DANRI ROYAL PALACE, at 6 km Here'is the quarter of DAFIAROU or LAFIAROU dynasty where you see the king KPE LAFIA GAMBAROU SOUANROU, KPE SOUMAILA SERO, SERO SOORO nicknamed SOUNON LAFIA and SABI NAÏNA's tombs or graves.
The king pays homage to the deads or deceased by bowing on their tombs.

Station N° 06 :

Location or site of sacred drums in the palace yard. The king comes before the sacred drums without any particular protocol.

· Station N° 07 :

BANKPILOU, at 11 km It is the tomb of king KPE GOUNOU KABA WOUKO ;
The king pays homage to this famous deceased with the same prayer and benediction protocol

· Station N° 8 :

IN FONT OF THE SACRED DRUMS The king comes once more to the royal drums.

· Station N° 09 :

SETLING IN THE ROUND HUT
a) The king goes into palace ; He comes down from his horse and enters in the round hut " SINKO " where he finds his sister GNON KOGUI, so as to attend the ceremonies, surrounded by his ministers and other dignitaries.

b) The meaning of the royale rampart walk the aim of this walk is to pray for the whole kingdoms at the beginning of the new year.

c) After this ritual executed on horse-back with ovations from the whole crowd, it is then the turn of villages chiefs to appear next to the sacred drums according to a precise order.

The following, the people regathers in the palace to meet or to receive the king, (SINABOKO) with the wishes of the new year. It is the KAYESSI ceremony dewing which they tell all the kingdom history in its sociologis and cultural realities

Best time to visit

Gaani Fête is in June or July; otherwise, you can visit any time of year, depending upon your climate preferences. It is hottest in April, May, and early June; the rains arrive in June and continue to early September. From October to January is the Harmattan (dry, windy season when it is cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon), and the dry season runs through February and March.

Lodging

The two best choices here are the Campement and La Belle Princesse.

Restaurants

There are many restaurants and buvettes to choose from in Nikki. For local foods, try Campement, located across from the Sous-Prefecture serving akassa, rice, beans, eggs in a lively atmosphere.

Le Mono

Located near Cine Borgou, this a good lunch place for African food. It is crowded, cheap, clean, and quick and serves wagasi in the local sauce, fish, potato salad, french fries, cous-cous, beans, and pâte. Prices range from 400 to 800 FCFA; drinks are also availaable.

Popular with visitors is La Belle Princesse, on the road to Kalalé, where the menu includes couscous, chicken, grilled fish, potatoes, french fries, salads and pounded ignâmes, with the meals averaging 1.500F to 2.000 FCFA a plate. This is a popular weekend spot.

Other good choices for local foods include La Trompête du Roi, on the road to N'Dali, which offers akassa, pâte, pounded ignâmes, rice, meat, fish; and Le Zenith, on the road to Sakabansi, which serves fried fish and eggs.

Local Markets:

There is a marché with 400 vendors every day in the center of town, which is a good source mostly for food items: onions, tomatoes, garlic, okra, wagasi. This marché is also a good place to eat, as it sells prepared foods such as rice and beans, macaroni, pounded yams, wasa-wasa (local couscous) and klui-klui (a peanut-flavored snack).

South: Abomey | Allada | Cotonou | Dassa zoumé | Ganvié | Grand Popo | Ouidah |Porto Novo| Possotomé | Savalou |
North: Kandi | Kota falls | Koussoukouangou | Natitingou | Tanéka-Koko | Parakou | Nikki | Pendjari park | Tanougou waterfalls |

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