ABSTRACT
As I write this section I am sitting on a beach in Cotonou in the Republic of Benin, a self-proclaimed Marxist People’s Republic. The main purpose of my visit is to see how one British exporter maintains and develops its team of representatives in this, one of the least visited of West African countries. Earlier I visited Dahomey to see the remains of the palaces of the ancient kings of Dahomey who ruled in this part of the world until the turn of the century. Each of the kings who ruled over the 600 years of the dynasty was an effective team leader. He led his people in battle, met what he and his advisers perceived to be their needs and commanded universal loyalty, trust and support. Each king was expected to show his virility by taking at least 4000 wives and his harem was tended by 300 eunuchs. Each time he sought guidance from his gods he sacrificed 21 humans as a mark of respect and anyone who cast his eye on any of his wives was immediately beheaded.
