TANEKA: Urgent Action Needed to Save a Traditional Habitat Model in Peril
Cement brick walls, tin-sheet roofs, featureless architectural layouts: this is the sad face that the famous tourist village of Taneka Beri in northern Benin now presents to visitors
Cement brick walls, tin-sheet roofs, featureless architectural layouts: this is the sad face that the famous tourist village of Taneka Beri in northern Bénin now presents to visitors. Before our helpless eyes, a transformation toward a certain modernity is taking place. Today's way of life exerts enormous pressure on this jewel nestled in the Atacora mountains, at the heart of the Copargo commune.
An Architectural Heritage Disappearing
Everywhere blows the wind of progress that threatens to sweep away the glorious past of the valiant Taneka people.
Consequence of this modernism: all the original and unique architecture of this people is tending to disappear. The circular huts with thick walls and artistically printed motifs, the conical straw roofs, all arranged magnificently offering a postcard-perfect aerial view, are dying out.
Taneka village undergoing transformation
Urgent Actions to Preserve Taneka Heritage
It is the soul of this people that is threatened with disappearance; it is the identity of this population that is fading.
To safeguard the heritage in peril, appropriate action must be taken. A major protection project could include:
A comprehensive awareness campaign among the affected populations, particularly the younger generation, on the importance of preserving this cultural and tourism wealth of Taneka villages,
Motivation and encouragement of various kinds for people who still have traditional huts. It is urgent to help them preserve these despite the onslaught of modernity,
The need, if necessary, to create a buffer village as an alternative to protecting everything (of the three villages, the eastern side is already completely transformed),
Significant funding for projects to reconstruct a considerable number of traditional huts in the villages,
A kind of modernization of habitats through solar panel systems.
A desolate sight...
Why Are Tin Roofs Replacing Thatch?
At this price alone can the architectural jewel, indeed all material heritage of Taneka villages, escape programmed disappearance.
How have we arrived at this acceleration in the use of tin as roofing material?
Three fundamental reasons can be identified.
- The first is the scarcity of straw. Once, it could be harvested everywhere, in fields, along roadsides, and even behind huts. Today, with cyclical droughts and especially the persistent transhumance phenomenon (cattle, cows, and sheep herds crossing the territory each year, grazing voraciously on straw) straw has become an extremely rare material;
- The second is the recurrence of fires that ravage part of the village every year, leaving inhabitants in distress. Many villagers are tired of losing everything in a single night to a devastating fire. Early bushfires and fires caused by hunters are sources of these disasters.
- The third remains the desire of the younger generation attracted by the allure of modernity and eager to live like city dwellers. They are determined to transform their environment. They have a great thirst for technology and the comfort that technology offers.
A dignitary at Taneka Béri
Action must be taken urgently to limit damage.
We call on local authorities, the municipality of Copargo, the government of Bénin, and UNESCO to work together to save Taneka villages, which constitute an unmissable tourist attraction in Bénin.
Frequently asked questions
Taneka villages (including Taneka Beri) are located in northern Bénin, in the Atacora mountains, at the heart of Copargo commune. This tourist site is accessible from Natitingou, the regional capital of Atacora.
Three main causes threaten Taneka traditional architecture: straw scarcity (due to droughts and livestock transhumance), repeated fires that devastate parts of the village each year, and the younger generation's attraction to modernity and urban comfort.
Several urgent actions are proposed: a comprehensive awareness campaign among populations, particularly young people; financial support to traditional hut owners; creation of a buffer village; funding for reconstruction of traditional huts; and introduction of solar panels to reconcile modernity with tradition.
Taneka villages constitute a major tourist attraction in Bénin and are part of the national cultural heritage. The article calls on UNESCO to join with local authorities and the government of Bénin to protect this exceptional site, whose status for international protection deserves to be strengthened.
To visit Taneka villages, it is recommended to go through Natitingou in the Atacora region in northern Bénin. A local guide is advised to respect Taneka customs and access the different villages. The best time to visit corresponds to the dry season (November to March) to facilitate travel in the mountains.
