Grand-Popo is a town,
arrondissement
An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands.
Europe
France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements ...
, and
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Mono Department
Mono is one of the twelve departments of Benin, with its capital at Lokossa. It is named for the Mono River which forms much of the border with Togo. The northern areas of the department were split off to create the newly formed Kouffo Departm ...
of south-western
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
. The commune covers an area of 289 square kilometres and as at the 2013 Census had a population of 57,636 people.
The term "Grand-Popo" is a European exonym for the ancient town and kingdom of "Hulagan" (Great Hula). The
Hula/Xwla/Phla people that once dominated the Togo-Benin coast traditionally regarded Great Hula as their ancestral town of common origin. It is unclear why Europeans began calling it Popo rather than Hula. It may come from a generic
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
term "popo" for peoples to their "west", which was subsequently borrowed by the Portuguese to refer to the Hula/Phla specifically. An alternative theory connects the "Popo" term to an ancient ruler called Kpokpo of
Tado (an
Aja town in the interior), which the Europeans may have confused with Hulagan.
The town grew around the
slave trade
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, but
coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwa ...
has now destroyed most of the old town.
[Butler, Stuart (2019) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Benin'', pgs. 115-120] The town is now a centre for
voodoo
Voodoo may refer to:
Religions
* African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups
* African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo
** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...
and home to a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
-
African cultural centre
A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run.
Asia
* Cen ...
,
Villa Karo
Villa Karo is a Finnish-African culture center and artist residence in the coastal village of Grand-Popo, Benin. Its purpose is to build a bridge between Finnish and African artists and cultural figures. The primary task is to offer a possibi ...
. The town's main industry is
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
.
The town inspired the name of the French electronic music duo
Grand Popo Football Club
Grand Popo Football Club was a French electronic music group of a DJ television presenter/chat show host and producer/ classically-trained pianist who studied at the National Conservatory in Paris, respectively.
The duo apparently adopted thei ...
, as well as the name of the iPad application creator Grand Popo LLC.
History
References
External links
*
*
{{Mono Department
Communes of Benin
Arrondissements of Benin
Populated places in the Mono Department