Kétou is a
Yoruba town,
arrondissement
An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands.
Europe
France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...
, and
commune located in the
Plateau Department
Plateau is one of the twelve departments of Benin. The department of Plateau was created in 1999 with an area of when it was split off from Ouémé Department. Plateau is subdivided into five communes, each centred at one of the principal town ...
of the
Republic of Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
(previously called Dahomey).
The commune covers an area of 2183 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 156,497 people,
making it the 13th largest settlement in Benin.
The current mayor is
Lucie Ablawa Sessinou of the
Progressive Union.
History
Kétou (Ketu) is said to have been founded by Ede, son of Sopasan and grandson of
Oduduwa (also known as Odùduwà or Oòduà), who ruled the Yoruba kingdom of Ilé-Ifẹ̀ (also known as
Ife) in present-day
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. The
oba (meaning 'king' or 'ruler' in the
Yoruba language
Yoruba (, ; Yor. ) is a Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern and Middle Belt, Central Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. ...
) is referred to as the Alákétu of Kétu.
Most
Gbe speaking people (
Ewe,
Adja,
Fon, and speakers of
Phla-Phera languages) trace their origins to Ketou. According to their oral history, Ketou was originally known as Ketume (in the sand). Alternatively, they also refer to Ketou as Amedzorfe (place of human origin). They were displaced by the
Yoruba because the Yoruba had larger population and access to horses / cavalry from the north.
Ketu North and Ketu South administrative districts in the Volta region of Ghana are named in remembrance of these peoples' origins from Ketou in Benin. The indigenes of these two districts are mainly Ewes.
References
4 Felix Kuadugah-contributor , History of Ketou
Communes of Benin
Arrondissements of Benin
Populated places in the Plateau Department
Communes in Yorubaland
Towns in Yorubaland
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