Life...The Vivere

 DESTINATION: Birthplace of Voodoo

Benin, West Africa 

February 2, 2015  

 Brilliant, vibrant colors in the crowds,

swoony odors of cooking meats,

mysterious flora, human sweat and the assault of sounds...loud, rapid French and choked traffic...

 

 first and lasting impressions of Western Africa's Republic of Benin. We traveled bone-jangling roads lined with people selling big, dusty yams, tomatoes and gasoline from glass wine jugs.

 

We saw an old man in a bright, floral green print matching shirt and pants lounging on a broken stool, a couple of bent-over women emerging from a background of sticks they were carrying on their backs... 

an onslaught of strong impressions wherever we journeyed.

The Republic of Benin, formerly Dahomey, is about the size of our state of Maine. It's bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. It has a close association with Nigeria and an active trade goes on between the two countries. The majority of the country's population lives in the south.

 

The purpose of our journey was to attend an International Voodoo Festival on January 10th...to immerse ourselves in this much-maligned religious practice and find out as much about it as we could. Arranged through ORIGINS SAFARIS in Nairobi, Kenya and AFRICA SIGHTSEEING in Cotonou, Benin, our guide was the son of a voodoo priestess, although he has chosen to be Christian.

The Republic of Benin is the birthplace of the ancient religion of Voodoo. Often misunderstood,  the spiritual religion called (officially) VODUN...  conjures up many images to the average Westerner, all of them markedly unpleasant. Secret rituals around a fire in which participants, possessed by demon gods, dance with total abandon to the hypnotic beat of tribal drums, spells intoned by witch-doctor types who impale dolls with pins representing intended victims...all images gleaned from movies and television.

Of course there's a dark side to all religions, but Vodun is a religion of good and doing good.  Many of  the Voodoo rituals, even those that include the sacrifice of live animals, focus on respect and peace.  It's religious leaders become community leaders, providing guidance and settling disputes. Leaders also frequently provide medical care in the form of folk medicine. Vodun is very widely practiced in Benin, even with those who claim their first religion is Catholic or Muslim. The African form of Voodoo is a precursor to the Voodoo practiced in Haiti and other parts of the Western hemisphere. The regions of Africa where Voodoo has thrived are areas that were heavily trafficked during the slave trade. Slavery and the extreme conditions and discontent of the slaves forced to leave Benin, brought "bad Voodoo" to the Americas. It has little in common with actual African Vodun other than its roots.

During the festival(s), groups of worshipers for different gods came up to the front areas and sang songs, danced dances...always to the heartbeat of the drums, for their own pleasure as well as the pleasure of the dignitaries present...

dignitaries including the Voodoo Community Kings, Village Chiefs, Vodun priests and priestesses.

There were a variety of Zangbetos (community protectors or men of the night) dressed as stacks of hay walking around during the festivities as well as the more serious fetishes... the playful, sometimes threatening men representing spirits of dead ancestors called EGUNGUNS. These egunguns are found on the streets, day and night, as well... leaping, dancing, uttering loud cries. Although it is well known that Egungun are only disguised men, it is popularly believed that to touch them, even by accident, causes death. These positions are inherited within families. Because we weren't brought up in a Vodun community, we really didn't hold the fear and anxiety that their presence causes among local believers. Locals keep their distance as they watch the antics of these "spirits"...they looked at us as though we were brave or foolish in our boldness to walk up and take their photos...caused a bit of an uproar! 

Benin has a very low literacy rate and is a very poor country, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming. A visit to the markets showed us some of the products grown in the country...the Beninese also trade with China.

Locals can also get gas for cars, trucks and motorbikes at the market

There are community fetish markets for local Voodoo practitioners to gather the items they need for special spells that the priests perform for good health, good will, good luck, etc. They're not for the weak of heart...

In addition to the big, international festival, we were privileged to be invited to two ceremonies in a couple of small, rural villages...a common sight for locals but spectacular for us to see voodoo in everyday life! 

These are some traditional voodoo fetishes

Note the fetishes outside this home...candle wax dripped on objects is part of it!

Vodun temple

One of the best Voodoo graffiti pieces...

An Egungun without a mask...just as mischievous, though!

Woman inside temple

This photo and the 7  following are of dancers who are in a trance...

Voodoo Priestess (our guide's mother)

We visited some villages up north where we saw the most intricate and interesting clay-like castle huts with several layers and floors...we spent some time exploring and visiting with the residents.

 

As we drove along the coast, finishing our time in Benin, we saw some beautiful scenes...and some hard-working fishermen.

Fishermen pulling out their huge net...

Benin... to Ethiopia and my families in the South Omo. As we drove towards their villages, there were the usual traffic jams...of cattle, not cars.

As we got closer, the landscape was more wide open...

Just a few quick photos of my families...I spent more time visiting with them than taking their pictures. However, I HAD to catch my friend Walla on her cell phone...yes, my primitive family has learned to love technology. Who knows what's next...

Enjoying a video on their cell phone

Buno, having her hair cut...with a razor blade

That's it for this very long posting...thanks for joining me on my trip to Benin, birthplace of Voodoo...and to Ethiopia to see my families. Sorry this was so lengthy, but there was so much to see and experience.

Hope to see you for my next posting...I promise it won't be a long one!

Big Hugs,

abbyj