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Last winter I had the opportunity and the pleasure of joining a group of students on a trip to the Republic of Benin in West Africa. One of the many interesting places in Benin is Ouidah, a coastal city in the southwest corner of the country. Ouidah is noted for its function as a major slavetrading port during the European colonial era and for its role—past and present—as a center of Vodun, the traditional religion in this part of West Africa.
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| Residential street scene in Ouidah | View from hotel roof, with mosque in distance |
One of the major holidays of Benin is National Vodun Day, celebrated on January 10. Visitors from all over the world—including Western film crews—attend the festivities, which, not surprisingly, are very lavish in Ouidah. Various rituals, processions, dances, and other activities (even an international French film festival) are held for an entire week around National Vodun Day.
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| Village celebration; Right: Egungun dancer (representing a spirit of the ancestors); Center: cameraman (making a video of the tourists) |
Women dancing to the beat of drummers |
Presiding over the festivities of National Vodun Day is the Daagbo Hounon, a Vodun holy man sometimes known as the “pope of Vodun.” The present Daagbo Hounon, who has both a powerful presence and a welcoming personality, is the latest in a long line of Vodun holy men. His residence is in Ouidah.
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| Mural in the Daagbo Hounon’s meeting hall showing part of the lineage dating back to the 15th century | The Daagbo Hounon (center, in white) in a ritual procession prior to National Vodun Day |
On National Vodun Day, crowds process along the “Route of the Slaves,” a 3-km road that leads from central Ouidah to the Atlantic Ocean. Along this route, amidst the otherwise beautiful scenery, are a number of memorials to the thousands of enslaved people who were forced to tread this path. Also on the road are statues honoring rulers of the former kingdom of Dahomey, a powerful nation whose captured enemies were sold to the European traders.
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| Route of the Slaves with a monument to one of the kings of Dahomey | A lagoon about 1 km from the ocean |
The Route of the Slaves ends at the Atlantic Ocean. The endpoint is marked by the “Gate of No Return,” a 20th-century monument. Just beyond is the ocean, where enslaved men and women boarded European ships in earlier centuries.
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| Gate of No Return with Atlantic Ocean beyond | Fishing boat at the Atlantic Ocean |
At the ocean, the celebrations continue all day, with dancing, singing, speechifying, and general milling about. Artists and merchants sell their wares. Families and friends enjoy a walk on the beach.
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| Food vendors near the beach | Crowds at the Gate of No Return |
A short way down from the Gate of No Return is a newer monument, the Gate of Return, a hopeful symbol of a new union in peace between the old world and the new.
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| A troupe of dancers at the beach | Gate of Return |
Although this is a land rich in history, culture, and religion, the true treasures of the country are its citizens. Truly, the people of Benin are among the friendliest that this traveler has ever encountered.
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| Children on the street near Daagbo Hounon’s house | Martine de Souza (historian, artist, and tour guide extraordinaire) at a monument along the Route of the Slaves |
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| Puppeteer performing | Women preparing sugar cane for sale |
Merci, Benin … Eh na ce, Ouidah.
The author and a young friend
on a walk through the woods near Ouidah
by Joyce Kuechler)