Fort Sao Joao Baptista de Ajuda was built in 1721. It is the only preserved fort in the city. The other 4 (French, Dutch, English and Danish) were destroyed. It allows you to realize the military dimension of the place with the surrounding wall, the cannons, the housing of the governor and the soldiers. But also to begin to discover the history of the kingdom of Ouidah and slavery.
The museum, housed within the fort, traces the history of the local rulers, their relationship with the Europeans and shows the conditions in which the slaves were imprisoned for months, inside the strong, awaiting the arrival of the slave ships. There is also a very beautiful exhibition of photos by Pierre Verger which shows the cultural proximity between Benin and Brazil (country of destination for most of the slaves who left the region).
