Parakou
This city has been named the "the city of everyone" to represent the diversity of ethnic groups that inhabit this market town that drew many people as a stop off point in trading. Parakou grew initially from revenue generated from passing merchants and was an important stop over in the distribution of goods and slaves around Africa. Parakou is derived from "La Ville de Tout le Monde" and the population stats have grown from 60,915 to 188, 853 at last count. In the last twenty years the population has nearly doubled in largest city in eastern Benin and capital of the Borgou Department.
Visit the city centre where a roundabout with a distinctive tall pink column where “Parakou” is encrypted vertically in red to stand out as an important place where you will shop til you drop. There are major industries in cotton and textiles, peanut oil manufacture and brewing and you can purchase the local millet beer, known as choukachou, to quench your thirst after day of browsing through the markets.
"Grand Marché Azeke" is an international market that keeps you browsing around a block in a large covered hall overlapping onto the streets with stalls. Negotiate with between 500 and 1000 vendors over the price of pottery vases, cotton textiles, local CD's of local artists, local spices, fruits and wagasi, which is cow's milk cheese. Take a break before tackling the next market of “Marché Kobo Kobo", which lies across the street from the French Cultural Centre, to buy clothes. Money and business issues can be sorted out in the central business district and the Internet can be used to tell your family back home about this small market town in Benin.
