ClevelandPeople.Com

Beninese in Cleveland


Flag of Benin


Bienvenue


News and Upcoming Events for Beninese in Cleveland


  • Are you interested in doing business in Benin?
  • Are you interested in taking a trip to Benin?
  • Are you of Beninese heritage and living, working or visiting Cleveland or Northeast Ohio?

Contact us for more information.

Submit your Cleveland Besotho news and events.


Out & About - Photos and Event Recaps

2023

African Heritage Day - Cleveland Cultural Gardens World on Stage

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation 2023 World on Stage events in the Gardens are showcasing various heritages. The first 2023 event was African Heritage Day on July 1, 2023.

MC Sia Nyorkor with Ethiopian coffee

MC Sia Nyorkor with Ethiopian coffee

Audience members came from a variety of African countries including Liberia, Ghana, Congo, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia. One attendee from Pretoria, South Africa said, "This is the first time I've felt like home since I came to Cleveland."

There was delicious West African food, an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, drummers, dancers and fun for families.

Main Page and photos and videos of 99 Treasures performance

See photos and videos of the Black Beanz performance

See photos and videos of the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

See photos and videos of the Djapo dancers and drummers performance

It was a great day to celebrate the heritage of the Cleveland People from the 54 countries of Africa.

Djapo Cultural Arts Institute drummers and dancers

Djapo Cultural Arts Institute dancer



Work in Progress - Thanks for your Patience




Fun with Maps - North Africa

Casablanca, Marrakesh, Algiers, the Barbary Coast, Morocco, the Sahara Desert, Darfur, Benghazi, Tunisia, Tripoli.

You've seen these exotic locales in movies, TV shows and the news but do you know where they are or much about them? In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at North Africa.

Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent and contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states (countries). This first episode in a series covering Africa includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco (including Western Sahara), Tunisia and Sudan.

After watching you will never listen to Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash or even the US Marines Hymn the same.






See more episodes of Fun with Maps

Top of Page


Organizations and Resources for Beninese in Cleveland





Submit your Cleveland Beninese organizations and resources.

Business, Education and Employment Information







Submit your Cleveland Beninese jobs, classes and other opportunities.


Cleveland Beninese Feedback and Memories



Benin History and Culture

Map of Benin

Present day Benin is comprised of about 42 ethnic groups, including the Yoruba in the southeast, who migrated from what is now Nigeria in the 12th century; the Dendi in the north-central area, who came from Mali in the 16th century; the Bariba and the Fula in the northeast; the Ottamari in the Atakora mountains; the Fon in the area around Abomey in the south-central area; and the Mina, Xueda, and Aja, who came from Togo, on the coast.

The Kingdom of Dahomey emerged on the Abomey plateau in the 17th century and was a regional power for much of the 18th and 19th centuries. Dahomey had an organized domestic economy, international trade with Europeans, and a highly organized military. The growth of Dahomey coincided with the growth of the Atlantic slave trade, and it became known as a major source of enslaved people. France began to control the coastal areas of Dahomey in the second half of the 19th century; the entire kingdom was conquered by 1894. French Dahomey achieved independence in 1960; it changed its name to the Republic of Benin in 1975.

A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.

KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent, who won a second five-year term in March 2011. Patrice TALON, a wealthy businessman, took office in 2016; the space for pluralism, dissent, and free expression has narrowed under his administration. Talon won a second term in April 2021.

(From the CIA World Factbook)

Map of Benin in Africa


Tell us about the music, food, holidays, traditions, costumes, language and other qualities that makes people from Benin so special.


Submit your Cleveland Beninese cultural items.


Profiles of Beninese in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio






If you know of a Cleveland Beninese who should be profiled,
please let us know.
ClevelandPeople.Com - Beninese Ambassadors

Read more about the Beninese and other Ambassadors. If you are interested in being considered to be an official ClevelandPeople.com Ambassador to the Cleveland Beninese community, please contact us.




For sponsorship opportunities please contact us at info@clevelandpeople.com

Top of Page




Please support the Beninese pages of ClevelandPeople.Com











Stay informed about
the news and special events
of the Group(s)
you choose by
signing up
for the free
ClevelandPeople.Com
e-newsletter



Follow ClevelandPeople
on Twitter

Follow ClevelandPeople on Twitter

or Cleveland People on Facebook


Like the work
of ClevelandPeople.Com?
Contribute to the cause
via Paypal






Visit our
On-line Store
featuring Books, DVDs,
Music, Flags,
Clothes, Food
and more from our
various ethnic groups.




Browse over 6,500
ClevelandPeople
YouTube videos






Murder in the Cultural Gardens
Whodunit Mystery
by Dan Hanson
set in the
Cleveland Cultural Gardens








 Copyright © 2009-2023
      Magnum Computers Inc.