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By Victor Ariole
Come April 12, the Beninrios or the Beninese, depending on the easier way you feel in pronouncing it, will go to the polls to elect a new president.
They remained relatively one of the most disciplined, politically and socially, among the inhabitants of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries- Cameroun, Chad, Niger and even in the sea Equatorial Guinea.
On the street of Benin ordinary cyclist or motorcyclist known as Okada in Nigeria obeys diligently traffic light; and simple whistle of a Gendarme oni the highway is obeyed by motorists, and stop, the motorist stops for a check.
Politically no hustling or bustling or manipulation in election as if their voodoo is watching. The fact that the elected mayor of Cotonou is known as Luc Gnacada of independent candidacy like Patrice Talon the president, out of 77 Mayoralties of Benin Republic, the outcome of 12th April is goingto be as traditional as Benin Elections are known.
Like Africans do say, that from the smell of fart you can easily diagnose the clinical value of faeces; and that means they do not waste time examining further the health message deductible. It is not as people say, a myth.
Benin republic is still greatly African in the way they do things there and it is not that such ways are demeaning ; just that they need to be upbraided to get Benini republic in the limelight. Voodoo as practised in Haiti, and as it remains greatly a heritage they keep, is seen to have originated from Benin Republic, its ifa contents notwithstanding. It isstill in Benin Republic you visit a place and you see church, shrine and magic performance being exhibited side by side. One would have expected that with such extra terrestrial performance, “heaven” and not “hell” will be the epiphenomenal view of Benin Republic . Helas it is not so. Modern development indices are rare in that space until recently,President Patrice Talon started introducing some like Glo Djibe Industrial Zone (GDIZ) Save sugar company and to an extent lime stone mining.
Check out his full name Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon, as if the parents are not Beninois indigenes. Possibly to hide this identity as some powerfulreturnee slave descendants like Zinsou and Olympio groups see his forbears as merchants of slaves. Now, he positions Romuald Radagni greatly core Beniniois as his presidential candidate possibly to initiate a new way of economic and social life in Benin. He is hisFinance and Economic Minister. His main contender is Paul Hounkpe of FCBE (Forces cauris pour un Benin emergent) as the democratic party contender Renound Viginile Agbojo failed to gather enough signatures from PARLEMENTARIANS to allow him appear on the ballot box ,and as their leader former president Yayi Boni Thomas resigns from the leadership of the party leaving the party leaderless,and as some members started also to defect like they do in Nigeria to the parties that supported Patrice Talon, initially independent candidate in 2016 but backed now by coalition parties—mainly Bloc Republician and Union Progressive LeRenouveau(UP-R).
Like arleady mentioned, it is a traditional elite domain. Mathieu Kerekou 1996-2006; Thomas Boni Yayi 2006-2016; Patrice Talon 2016- to date. Prior to Mathieu Kerekou as military leader( in 26th OCTOBER 1972),Hubert Maga, Christophe Soglo, Emile Zinsou and Apithy Migan had already served as post-independence Presidents. Democratic process breached by the Military Coup d’Ëtat of Colonel Mathieu Kerekou.
Unlike other francophone countries of west Africa where multiple coups d’etat had successfully taken place as democratic change of power remain precarious, Benin Republic had had only one successful coup led by Mathieu Kerekou, who also returned to contest as civilian and succeeded after failing once on the ballot box to Nicephore Soglo
With a population of about 15 million of about 135 people per km2 it is far better than Nigeria of 266 people per km2 . Even with $1400 per capita GDP Benin Republic is better than Nigeria of about $1000 per capita. Nigeria is only better than Benin Republic when such indices are measured following median not mean as Nigerians would easily say :“God forbid” or “Akoba adaba” there is no way Beninois who rely on Nigerian economy for their survival could be better than Nigerians.
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It is mere appreciation or detesting what the policies of cultural assimilation or cultural dissimilation mean to the two countries who inherited two different colonial governances’ approach. Dissimilation in Nigeria means, do as you deem fit in your own corner as long as you are contributing more or less to the centre, or that the center is a milking cow required to keep your part of Nigeria alive. Assimilation to the francophone neighbours, whether from the eyes of the dissenting AES (Association des Etats de Sahel) of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso where the nomads are seen as not assimilating well and are brutalised, or from the eyes of the coastal countries of Francophone Africa where rulership means adhering to a dynasty rules as part of assimilating principles, as France assumes that it in a guided and rule-based approach to a civilisation mission.
For Captain Ibrahim Traore and his AES peers, it means “death to democracy” and return to Sekou Toure of Guinea tyrannical, guided and rule-based approach of “Africa for the Africans” proclaimed by General Charles de Gaulle in 1944 in Brazaville the then headquarters of th then “Afrique Equatorial francaise ” as he discovered that the cultural assimilation process had become anachronistic as he canvassed for African help to liberate France occupied by Germans ; that is, African bare-footed soliders(les tirailleurs) recruited to help liberate France needed not to be culturally assimilated. And Sekou Toure relayed it to him in 1958 by telling him that Guinea had no more need for France hence proclaimed Guinea fully independent with no association with France.
Benin Republic still believes in cultural assimilation, albeit in African voodoo way; no matter how much you fortify your name with Christian stamp like that of Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon. To be president in Benin Republic you must culturally assimilate to the norms of voodoo; not voodoo in the negative sense.
Till date it is rare to hear of a Beninois president, former or current, amassing wealth that is stacked abroad. It has also led to having presidents who remain conservative and traditional.
It is also so because whether you belong to a political party or not you can aspire to be a presidential aspirant as long as a given and acceptable number of Parlementarians of any given party or all the parties endorse you as a worthy independent candidate.
Talon became president on such endorsement and he went on to win the presidential election. Unfortunately Kemi Sabe, like his Nigerian name sounds,could not get such endorsements.
However, it is still going to be Talon multi partisan independent candidate Wadagni facing a political party candidate Hounkpe for the race of 12h April, and as tradition is expected to carry the day your guess is good as mine on who wins.
.Ariole, Ph.D, Professor of French and Francophone Studies, UNILAG
• Ariole, Ph.D, Professor of French and Francophone Studies, UNILAG
