To grasp the soul of Aneho, wandering through its colonial alleys is not enough. You must turn to the water. The lagoon that encircles the city and widens into Lake Togo is not just a sublime mirror reflecting palm trees; it is an open-air factory, an aquatic highway, and the pantry for an entire population. The lagoon trades tell a story of ingenuity, physical strength, and a millennia-old coexistence with the Mono estuary.
From the first light of dawn until the starry night falls, the water's surface comes alive with an uninterrupted ballet. Let's dive into the daily lives of these unsung workers who make the economy of Aneho beat.
The Lagoon: The True Economic Heart of the City
Where the land is sometimes ungrateful, the water offers its riches. Aneho's exceptional hydrographic configuration, caught between the tumultuous Atlantic Ocean and the vast, calm lagoon network, naturally directed its inhabitants toward river and maritime exploitation.
A Fragile Nourishing Ecosystem
This ecosystem is a biological miracle: the brackish water, a mix of freshwater from the rivers and saltwater from the sea, provides an ideal breeding ground for many species of fish and crustaceans. However, it is a precarious balance that the lagoon artisans must respect to ensure their daily survival.
Fishermen: Guardians of Traditional Techniques
The profession of a lagoon fisherman is passed down from father to son. On flat water, unlike the rough sea, silence is mandatory, and the technique must be surgically precise.
Casting the Net and the Art of Traps
The techniques used on the lake and lagoon are adapted to shallow waters:
- The cast net (Xɔnu): A huge circular net weighed down with lead on the edges. The fisherman, standing in precarious balance on his narrow pirogue, throws the net with a perfect circular motion. It deploys like a parachute before sinking quickly, trapping tilapia, captain fish, and carp.
- The fish trap (Akaya): Made of woven palm branches, it is placed at the bottom of the water with bait. The fish enters but cannot exit.
- Acadja fishing: An ancestral method involving planting leafy branches in the lagoon to create an artificial habitat where fish come to breed, before being encircled by a net a few months later.
The Crucial Role of Women Fish Processors
While men catch the fish, it is the women who turn it into gold. Without the expert intervention of female fish processors, the fish caught under the tropical heat would rot in a few hours.
Fish Smoking: Ancestral Know-How
In the coastal neighborhoods, the characteristic smell of burning sawdust announces the presence of smoking ovens. The process is tough and demanding:
- Cleaning and salting: The fish are scaled, gutted, and soaked in brine.
- Arranging on racks: Placed in a circle on large metal grids resting on banco (mud) ovens.
- Slow smoking: Maintaining a smoldering, flameless fire with coconut shells and sawdust to deeply smoke the fish for several hours, giving it that golden to coppery color.
Sales and Market Control
The central market of Aneho resonates with the energetic negotiations of these women, often called the "Nana Benz" of the lagoon. They hold the true economic power of the sector, sometimes self-financing the purchase of nets or motors for the fishermen, thus establishing an unbreakable commercial partnership.
Boatmen and Ferrymen: Masters of the Water
Before modern bridges were built, and still today in many outlying villages, the pirogue remains the only way to cross the lagoon or transport heavy goods.
Connecting Shores and Transporting Goods
The profession of boatman (or ferryman) is a public necessity. These muscular men skillfully handle a long bamboo pole to push their heavy pirogues carved from a massive kapok tree trunk.
- Passenger transport: From school children in uniform reaching the opposite shore to market women with heavy basins on their heads.
- Cargo freight: Transporting gravel, sand dredged from the river bottom, or firewood to the market.
- Slow tourism: Increasingly, boatmen are retraining to offer silent, eco-friendly rides to travelers curious to discover the mangroves and surrounding islands.
All these trades form the fabric of a solidary and hardworking society, which, day after day, writes the vibrant contemporary history of Aneho to the splashing rhythm of paddles.