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Every year in Benin, locals celebrate festivals in honor of the gods of Voodoo, an indigenous religion that worships nature spirits and honors ancestors.
The festival draws more and more people from African Americans, Brazilians and Caribbeans seeking to discover the religion and land of their ancestors who were enslaved and shipped off the coast of West Africa.
Voodoo, known locally as voodoo, originated in the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin and Togo) in coastal towns like Ouidah, once a trading center dotted with slave trade monuments. Along with Christianity, it is still widely practiced today. small beach community.
“We come here first to search for our origins and reconnect with Mother Earth,” says Louis-Pierre Ramasamy, 45, from Guadalupe, visiting Ouidah for the first time in Benin. said.
He came to discover the Vodoun Festival, but his stay is so much more.
He said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors who were taken from Ouidah centuries ago and rediscover the divinity that his maternal grandmother practiced.
Counseling and sacrifices were made for him at the Vodoun monastery in Ouidah to help him reconnect, he said.
“Even if I’m unlucky this time, I’ll be back. I need this reunion for personal growth,” the tourist told AFP.
Dozens of devotees in white cloth face the sea and pay homage to Ouidah, the goddess of the sea.
Devotees in colorful traditional robes and gowns watched the ‘Zambet’ ceremony, in which dancers dressed as guardians of the night danced to the beat of drums and dances.
Nearby is an arch called the Door of No Return, commemorating those who were stuffed onto slave ships bound for the New World from Ouidah’s beaches.
“Our ancestors foresaw the return of their African descent. The ghosts of their ancestors were waiting for them,” said Hounnongan Viyeye Noumaze Gbetoton, one of Ouidah’s Vodon officials. said.
“When they come back, it’s a blessing and a recharge of energy to move forward.”
Anaica Durand from Brazil said she passed this stage.
She is delighted to be reunited with Almeida’s family from Benin.
January 10th became a wonderful festive moment for her with songs, dances and celebrations around Vordon.
– “Identity” –
Like her, Alexandra Bajou is staying at Ouidah for the second time. This year, they came to dedicate Tan, the god of the snake.
“All consultations made it clear that it was my ancestor’s worship,” she smiled, tying a white loincloth around her waist.
The 29-year-old Haitian plans to settle in Ouidah to devote himself to the religion full-time.
“Dan is happy and he is the source of wealth,” the young woman vowed, “I finally found the happiness she was missing.”
“Our main aim is to ensure that indigenous cultures never die…Sooner or later all African descent will return to their place of origin. This is our ancestors.” It’s the word of the world,” said Hounnongan Viyeye Noumaze Gbetoton.
Francis Ahoissoushi, a Beninian sociologist who specializes in religious issues, describes this attachment among the descendants of African slaves as “a natural need they must meet”. doing.
According to him, many Afro-descendants feel they are “eternally searching for their true identity,” and part of that is addressed by Vodun’s role.
For Ana Beatriz Acpeje Almeida, a Brazilian, it felt like connecting with the gods and ancestors she knew from Brazil and other peoples.
“I think most people in the diaspora can connect with this kind of knowledge,” she said. “Voodoo is a perspective on human nature.”
Chastyl, a US visitor, told AFP it was also her first time in Benin.
“I’ve seen so many gods and so many dances,” she said. “We don’t have family here. They’re all in America, but obviously somewhere, we’re from here.”
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