Sanjit Lachhwani, Year 8

On the 12th of May 2025, our class went on a field trip to explore the city of Porto-Novo. The purpose of the trip was to discover Porto-Novo’s rich history, cultural diversity and their traditions. Do you know that Porto-Novo is the capital of Benin? Have you ever wondered why Porto-Novo is so named? Porto-Novo was named when the Portuguese came. They found out that there is a place called Porto in Portugal so after a long amount of time the Portuguese named it Porto-Novo.

We were accompanied by our class teacher, Mrs Mbaka, and the dance teacher, Mr Emmanuel. First, we went to the Musee, followed by the Royaume de Hogbonou Adjatche and then the Botanical Garden. We had an opportunity to explore the ancestral kingdom of King TOFFA 1. We learned about different movements and wars to conquer territories. We saw the home of TE-AGBANLIN, the founder of the Royal dynasty of Hogbonou. We saw many other sections of the kingdom also.

Before we went to the king’s court, we visited the first mosque in Porto-Novo. It was designed as a church because when the slaves came back from Brazil, they only knew how to build churches as there was no mosque in Brazil. Then we went to the palace of the current king of Porto-Novo who is Sa MAJESTE DE-GBEZE AYONTINME TOFFA IX. During our questions and answers session, he narrated his life and achievements as a king. He became the king in his adolescence.

Finally we proceeded to the Botanical Garden where we wove baskets and mats. This trip made us learn about the great history and traditions of Porto-Novo.

Leo Codjia, Year 8

On the 12th of May 2025, our class, Year 8, embarked on a field trip to Porto-Novo in order to explore its rich history, cultural diversity and artisanal traditions. We were accompanied by our class teacher, Mrs Mbaka and the dance teacher, Mr Emmanuel.

When we arrived, we were met by our guides-Mr Lionel and Mr Ferdinand. Our guides told us that Porto-Novo has three names: Adjatche, Hogbonou and Porto -Novo. Adjatche is the name given by the Yorubas when they first came to Porto-Novo from Nigeria. The name Hogbonou, which means ‘the entrance to the big house,’ was given by people from Adja, while the name Porto-Novo was given by the Portuguese slave traders.

We saw the house of the founder of Hogbonou called Te-Agbanlin. We were ushered into the ancestral king’s court where we were told how the king gets initiated before he ascends the throne, how he conducts his large family of many wives and many children and how he fights wars. We also saw statues of palace workers. There is a particular statue of a sweeper whose head and hair were used to show the different phases of the moon. We were shown the games that the king played with his subjects.

The trip was a wonderful experience because I learned a huge part of the History of Benin in just one day. The sweetest part was the visit to the king’s palace.

Yohaan Gajwani, Year 6

On THE 28th of April 2025, my class and I went to Porto-Novo to explore its rich history and tradition. We were accompanied by our teachers: Mrs Afolabi and Mr. Fassassi in the school bus. We left for Porto-Novo at around 8:30am and it took us one hour to reach there.

When we reached Abessan, our guides: Mr. Ferdinand and Mr. Lionel, welcomed us. First, my class and I saw a temple that only descendants of the three hunters, responsible for the creation of the town, could enter. Speaking about the three hunters, the guide told us a myth about them. One day, while hunting in the forest, they met a monster with nine heads. The hunters’ names were: Akpakpo, Anata and Ogbon.

Next, my class and I went to the palace of the King of Porto-Novo. It looked very nice but it was smaller than I expected. When we entered the palace, we had to sit on a rug and the attendant of the king told us that when the king comes, we needed to bow before him. Suddenly the king walked in and we bowed to him to show our respect while he sat on his throne. We began asking the king questions and he answered all our questions. The king’s name is Toffa IX and he is 68 years old.

Later on, we went to the museum which was the former palace built two centuries ago. In the former palace, twenty-five kings lived there during their reigns. Inside, there were many rooms and many doorways that were very small. They looked like they were meant for dwarfs and our guide explained that it was built intentionally that way. People had to postern each time they used the doors and this showed submission to the king. We then saw a vast garden behind the museum where the villagers and the king celebrate their ceremonies. We left the garden and were back at the entrance of the museum.

After the museum, we visited a mosque that looked like a church. This was built by slaves who returned back from Brazil over a century ago. Since they didn’t know what a mosque looked like and they wanted to do something to thank the local people for welcoming them in their town, the only reference they had was the churches in Brazil so that is what they built.

All in all, I found this field trip very interesting. Porto-Novo is a city full of rich culture and fascinating architecture. This will remain a memorable trip in my mind.