"The priests pray for bad spirits to fly away," said a neighbouring man, before a shriek rippled the now feverish crowd.
shouted Remi above the cacophony.Some Egungun whirled like dervishes, green, silver and yellow capes creating spinning circles. My true motivation was Chatwin's narrative of bloodthirsty African kings, slavery, and French and Portuguese ambitions, is enthralling. There are more than 60 gods and deities in the voodoo world. In Cotonou, Benin's largest city, the tourist office told me to return in January, because I'd only see Voodoo at an annual festival in Ouidah offering choreographed ceremonies for Benin's trickle of largely French tourists. At The Tree of Forgetfulness, Remi explained how "slaves would circle nine times to magically forget everything, so they weren't sad in their new lives. Benin is bathed in simplistic beauty yet possesses a thrilling, mystical underbelly. The next day I would witness something extraordinary.In a local compound where ripening calabash fruits aped basketballs, Remi wangled me into a family ceremony of ancestor worship: Egungun.This is one of Beninese Voodoo's most explosive events, where departed ancestral spirits take the form of humans in order to impart wisdom and justice to the living.Frenzied drumming ushered the Egungun into the compound. Handcrafted voodoo statues for sale at the Benin Voodoo festival, near Ouidah (Shutterstock) While Voodoo certainly isn't fiction here, witnessing it in action seems unlikely at first. Yet what really captivated me were the tales of Voodoo, a practice that is still followed by over 60% of Beninese today and considered the state religion.Handcrafted voodoo statues for sale at the Benin Voodoo festival, near Ouidah (Shutterstock)While Voodoo certainly isn't fiction here, witnessing it in action seems unlikely at first.
Before long, Remi and I were pinned against a wall by a hulking Egungun. I walked around late every evening hoping to witness them, but I never did.And then fate eventually smiled upon me. z.B.
In the inner sanctum of the Djeho Temple, built by Glele for his father Ghezo, the mortar is forged from the blood of 41 slaves.Nowadays it's possible to meet the King of Dahomey and keep your head. Possessed by the dead, men wore flamboyant sequin-spangled capes adorned with animal and human motifs. He is an independent entity and timeless. And, hurrah, Voodoo-dolls were tucked into their sarongs, each representing the number of deities they individually worshipped.The harmonious singing commenced, as before, but altogether more frenetic. It was Chinese masquerade meets the 'running of the bulls' at Pamplona. Averting my eyes, it brushed its horsehair flywhisk across my face. Benin / Yoruba God name "Esu" Edo / Benin / Nigeria, West Africa: God of påśśage. Every morning the irresistible aroma of freshly baked baguette drove me mad with hunger pangs and after a few days Voodoo was the last thing on my mind.I wandered the city's caramel-coloured, sandy streets, noting sumptuous architectural landmarks such as the Portuguese Fort built in 1721 to administer slave transportations, and Afro-Brazilian mansions of emancipated slaves returning from the Americas.Remi, a local guide, showed me the marketplace where slavers bartered 15 male Africans for one cannon. "Approaching the coast, sea breezes rustled coconut groves while crabs gnashed their claws amid mangroves. Voodoo - Mounted by the Gods: Dokumentation des Fotojournalisten Alberto Venzago, der zehn Jahre lang Voodoo-Zeremonien und Opferrituale im westafrikanischen Benin verfolgte. Generations of Dahomian Kings fought internecine wars, maintained female Amazon warriors with a penchant for decapitation, and sold slaves to the Europeans to equip themselves militarily. I was fleetingly disappointed to discover it was going to be another a Mami Wata ceremony - but not for long. Meeting a Beninese king is a real highlight and not difficult to arrange: bring something to toast him and present a gratuity of about US$25-50.People wearing masks during the Egungun Ceremony, Benin (Shutterstock)I entered the now modest Abomey palace of King Benhanzin II, kowtowing at his feet so my forehead brushed the ground.
Enter a world of python temples, haystack cults and oozing fetish shrines...The Gate of No Return in Ouidah, Benin (Shutterstock)Barefoot, I stepped onto a putrefying mound of candle wax, palm oil and the feathers and blood of sacrificed goats and chickens. Soon, 20 other women were doing the same; a lot of flesh for a modest Englishman. Hornbills glided across the road with greater ease than the struggling Masked participants of the Egungun Ceremony, Benin (Shutterstock)In halcyon times, Abomey was capital of the feared Dahomey Kingdom (Benin's former name). Voodoo, Benin Wir verwenden Cookies, um unsere Webseite für Sie benutzerfreundlich zu gestalten. Water, quartz and cowry shells were also heaped on the cast beads. Wenn Sie zustimmen, nehmen wir an, dass Sie mit der Verwendung von Cookies einverstanden sind. Elsewhere, I learnt that Glele's harem once overflowed with 4,000 brides - remarkably his libido and heart held out for 31 years of rule. Das Hauptfest wird auf dem Verschiffungsplatz der ehemaligen Sklaven am "Tor des Nimmerwiedersehens" in Ouidah gehalten.
Then Casmin rang a bell. "If you see their eyes, you will die!" Benin people have very distinct practices in Voodoo and uphold hundreds of years of voodoo practice traditions, which will be explained in the page Voodoo Practice. In the tiny West African nation of Benin, Voodoo remains the state religion. "If your wish comes true," reminded Pascal, the Voodoo attendant, "you must return to sacrifice two chickens to Dankoli. Filbert knew of an important Voodoo ceremony occurring in Cotonou.On a side street in Mgomilite district, crowds assembled by an abandoned petroleum tanker. I sensed the Voodoo floodgates were opening.