In the Highlands of Northern Benin: The Living Memory of the Tanéka People

In Copargo commune in northern Benin, the villages of Tanéka Koko and Tanéka Béri preserve round banco houses topped with thatch and earthenware jars, an architectural tradition once adapted to raids and tropical heat. Traditional dignitaries, spiritual guides and healers keep longstanding customs alive, while the king maintains harmony among clans, settles disputes and presides over rites of passage. Mount Tanéka is home to the sacred source of the Ouémé River and an ecosystem that includes kapok trees, African locust bean trees and ackee.