Za-Kpota
Encyclopedia
Za-Kpota or Zakpota is a town, arrondissement
, and commune
in the Zou Department
of south-western Benin
. It is located 153 kilometres north of Cotonou
and 33 kilometres east of Abomey
(Bohicon
is even closer).
settlers from Abomey
and Bohicon
settled there in order to develop farming and hunting. The first settlement was Adikogon. The name is derived from settlers who remarked "Za kpo O ta bo not Finin" which roughly means: "Sweep the rise and reside there."
Za-Kpota covers an area of 600 square kilometres and had 87,076 inhabitants with a Density of 212.9 inhabitants per km in 2002.The commune contains some 56 villages, mostly engaged in subsistence farming. Originally populated by fons, the town now houses some Mahi
s, Yoruba
and Dendi
.
.
Zakpota has a school with around 250 pupils, 80% of which are boys.Donations from the Netherlands
have been geared towards improving female education in the commune.
Za-Kpota was struck hard by the 2008 Benin floods
in July 2008, tearing down mud and straw homes and infrastructure and polluting rivers.
.
in Ogun State
and sent them back to Benin on trucks. Seven traffickers were arrested and incarcerated. The boys at the centre of the Za-Kpota Nigerian trafficking scandal were believed to represent only a small percentage of the total number of some 50,000 Beninese children which are believed to be a victim of cross-border child trafficking. In cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), the government has set up village committees to stop child trafficking.
Arrondissements of Benin
The Arrondissements of Benin refer to the third-level administrative units of Benin, after Departments and communes. In turn they contain villages and may often have several quartiers or city districts/urban neighborhoods:...
, and commune
Communes of Benin
The departments of Benin are subdivided into 77 communes, which in turn are divided into arrondissements and finally into villages or city districts. Prior to 1999 provinces were broken down into 84 districts, titled either urban or rural...
in the Zou Department
Zou Department
Zou is one of the twelve departments of Benin.Zou is divided into the communes of Abomey, Agbangnizoun, Bohicon, Cové, Djidja, Ouinhi, Za-Kpota, Zangnanado, and Zogbodomey....
of south-western Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
. It is located 153 kilometres north of Cotonou
Cotonou
-Demographics:*1979: 320,348 *1992: 536,827 *2002: 665,100 *2005: 690,584 The main languages spoken in Cotonou include the Fon language, Aja language, Yoruba language and French.-Transport:...
and 33 kilometres east of Abomey
Abomey
When UNESCO designated the royal palaces of Abomey as a World Heritage Site in 1985 it statedFrom 1993, 50 of the 56 bas-reliefs that formerly decorated the walls of King Glèlè have been located and replaced on the rebuilt structure...
(Bohicon
Bohicon
Bohicon is a city in Benin, and a conurbation of Abomey lying 9 kilometres east of the city on the railway line from Cotonou to Parakou and on Benin’s main highway RNIE 2 which joins the RNIE 4. The commune covers an area of 139 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 113,091...
is even closer).
History
Za-Kpota dates back to 1645, when FonFON
Fon is a company that operates a system of dual access wireless networks. Fon is the largest Wi-Fi network in the world, with over 4 million hotspots....
settlers from Abomey
Abomey
When UNESCO designated the royal palaces of Abomey as a World Heritage Site in 1985 it statedFrom 1993, 50 of the 56 bas-reliefs that formerly decorated the walls of King Glèlè have been located and replaced on the rebuilt structure...
and Bohicon
Bohicon
Bohicon is a city in Benin, and a conurbation of Abomey lying 9 kilometres east of the city on the railway line from Cotonou to Parakou and on Benin’s main highway RNIE 2 which joins the RNIE 4. The commune covers an area of 139 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 113,091...
settled there in order to develop farming and hunting. The first settlement was Adikogon. The name is derived from settlers who remarked "Za kpo O ta bo not Finin" which roughly means: "Sweep the rise and reside there."
Za-Kpota covers an area of 600 square kilometres and had 87,076 inhabitants with a Density of 212.9 inhabitants per km in 2002.The commune contains some 56 villages, mostly engaged in subsistence farming. Originally populated by fons, the town now houses some Mahi
Mahi
Mahi is a Jat gotra or clan found in the Northern Indian state of Punjab.-Origin:The place of origin of the Mahi is supposed to have been Amritsar, Punjab, India and Multan, Pakistan.-Occupation:Agriculture is the main occupation of Mahi clan people...
s, Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
and Dendi
Dendi
Dendi is the name of several African-related subjects:* Dendi Kingdom* Dendi is a district or woreda in Ethiopia;* Mount Dendi, also in Ethiopia;* Dendi people is one of the ethnic groups living in Benin and Niger;...
.
Economy
Economic activities that occupy people include agriculture (85%), trade (8%), crafts (5%) and other services (2%).However, the commune is living in povertyPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
.
Zakpota has a school with around 250 pupils, 80% of which are boys.Donations from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
have been geared towards improving female education in the commune.
Za-Kpota was struck hard by the 2008 Benin floods
2008 Benin floods
The 2008 Benin floods struck the nation of Benin between July and October 2008, and affected the other West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Togo. According to the Red Cross of Benin, the flooding in Benin initially affected almost 7,000 people, including the...
in July 2008, tearing down mud and straw homes and infrastructure and polluting rivers.
.
Child trafficking
In December 2003, Za-Kpota was the centre of a serious child trafficking scandal. It erupted after rival traffickers gave the Nigerian police pictures of children from Za-Kpota working arduously in quarries and farms in Nigeria, authorised by their parents due to extreme poverty. The police located 261 boys, aged 6-16 in AbeokutaAbeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
in Ogun State
Ogun State
Ogun State is a state in South-western Nigeria. It borders Lagos State to the South, Oyo and Osun states to the North, Ondo State to the east and the republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state...
and sent them back to Benin on trucks. Seven traffickers were arrested and incarcerated. The boys at the centre of the Za-Kpota Nigerian trafficking scandal were believed to represent only a small percentage of the total number of some 50,000 Beninese children which are believed to be a victim of cross-border child trafficking. In cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
(UNICEF), the government has set up village committees to stop child trafficking.