Sacred Masks and Voodoo Festival

with FROST PHOTO TOURS

Benin, West-Africa. Not your average tourist destination, that’s exactly what I like ! It is hot, it is humid, I have never sweated so much in my life, but it is sensational, so colorful, friendly and laid back easy, this country is very special and so totally cool. To be honest, before I traveled, I  had to look it up on the map, West Africa is big and has many countries….Now I know where it is, and will never forget !

Didn’t know much about Voodoo either, but we soon learned that Voodoo is a religion, not some scary cult. It is a peaceful way of life aligned with the natural elements. They have divinities like Christianity has angels and a God they call the Fa, and when they celebrate it is like the carnival in Brazil or Venice, with splendid dresses, tons of spectators and lots of music and ecstatic dancing.

I jumped at the chance and joined this cultural photo tour with Kirsten Frost. I am picked up at the airport by our driver Moise, (pronounce Moh-iz) in full body, extremely colorful dress. Just that made me smile, and I had really good hopes that this trip would become awesome, which it definitely did.

DAY 1: GANVIÉ, GRAFFITI & THE AMAZONE

We take the boat for the 8km trip to Ganvie, a city of 30’000 built on stilts, also called the Venice of Africa. It really is. The history is, that in the 17th century the people of the Tofu tribe fled from the slavers of the Fan tribe towards the Nokoue Lake. Religious beliefs prevented the Non people from following them on the sacred lake. So they stayed, they were safe as long as they didn’t go back to the dry land. They farm fish in pens just as others have livestock and every family has at least 3 canoes, one for mum, one for dad, one for the kids.

We are greeted by a boatful of boys singing to the rhythm of a drum, and paddling like mad. That is the official welcome says or guide Bienvenue. Not everybody wants to be in the picture, that must be respected, but we get a lot of cool shots at the floating market and from the restaurant on stilts. All too soon the fun is over and we head back to the dock. 

The afternoon our guide for the tour Azize, a lovely very knowledgable guy, takes us to the wall of murals, or the Graffiti Wall as they call it here. But the wall is so beautiful I believe graffiti is not a proper description, it is art. The wall is the longest graffiti wall in Africa, almost 1km long ! We have fun getting people to pose in front of it for scale. All these beautiful colorful clothes, it is great. Sometimes we see whole families in the same outfit, the men and boys pants and a long shirt over it, the women and girls in dresses, all made from the same material. We learn later (as we are shopping these waxcloths) that you buy the material per 10m or so and have it made by a tailor.

At the end we reach the 30m high Amazon Statue. It was unveiled late 2022 and honors the woman warriors of Dahomey. The history is that they started as elephant hunters for King Wegbaja in the late 1600’s and grew under his son King Agaja to warriors that were feared and admired for their  bravery. Boy, there are crowds there on a Sunday evening. It really shows how proud this country is of its history. The statue is huge and glows like gold in the setting sunlight. Even to me, just a visiting tourist without the local connection, it is a truly amazing sight.

DAY 2: MARKET & PRE-FESTIVAL IN OUIDAH

At 6am it is already hot and humid, if you move you sweat ! Our driver for the trip is Horace (pronounce Oh-rasse). First to the market which is as any African market, loud, colorful and very crowded. I can’t help it, had to buy waxcloth, there are so many, and such amazing colors and designs, it is hard to choose. There are women with towers of 3-4 trays of peppers, with huge baskets with pineapple, bananas, cloth or other stuff on their heads, guys in the full body colored suits, all the fresh fruits and vegetables, and anything else you might want to buy. Just find the right section of the market, this is great.

Then to Ouidah, first the voodoo priest after that the pre-festival celebrations. The priest shows us his family’s house, on the walls are paintings of all the gods or divinities as they call them here. There is one for metal, for earth, for fertility, for thunder and lots more. In the back I see the monument, the memorial of Zoungbodji, the mass cemetery of the slaves, we must go see it later, there is so much sad slave trade history in this country. 

Okay, now back to the voodoo house. We had to wash our hands before entering, had a drink of water, then a palm oil drink, boy it made me cough, it is like a whisky. Three young guys are drumming and chanting whilst he does his ritual. I am a bit worried for the poor chicken they are holding. No details there. As we are special, very nice and interested guests, he shows us the real divinities in a back room. We are all dripping with sweat by now, it is almost 40°, humid as hell and there is no breeze at all in the house. A good photographer must know how to suffer for that extra special photo !

Next are the pre-festival activities in Quidah. We park near the Python Temple and with our press-passes, we are allowed into the central square. This is brilliant. There are some guys in straw hula skirts dancing around, they have some yellow stuff on them, and twist and turn like mad, they must already be in trance, no normal person would keep this dancing up, in this heat, for so long. We would later learn what all this represents, for now we are just amazed. Then the next group, a guy with a big cape goes chasing people, the material and colors are simply out of this world. Next are a group with 2 gigantic red balls on their shoulders, we simply can’t get enough. 

By 8pm or so we are finally home in Grand Popo, funny name that is, back home this would be translated as „fat bum“. At night it gets minimally cooler, about 25°C and I lie in my bed trying not to sweat too much, the aircon is not functioning properly so I have the fan on as well. Listening to the rattle of the aircon I finally fall asleep. I am so exited, so many impressions, such strange and wonderful things, it is hard to catch sleep, but finally my brain stops churning. 

DAY 3: PRE-FESTIVAL IN ALLADA

Today we go to Allada, a town north of Ouidah, where there are supposed to be some Voodoo Festival activities. Not quite as big as Ouidah, but hopefully less well known and less crowded. We meet our local guide and head for the river where there were tents set up and already quite a few people, all in traditional colorful dress of course. We are definitely not the first guests.  We were shown to our seating, the tent next to the queen’s, such an honor ! and off we went. There was one group after the other coming, usually a king of one of the surrounding regions in shiny materials with lots of beads and the hats they wear here. Sometimes somebody with an umbrella next to the king to give him shade, a group of singing dancing people behind him, all in their Sunday best outfits. Some groups stopped at the drummers, did a dance performance then all went to sit in the tents. The kings in front row on real big leather sofa’s behind them their entourage. The place was filling up nicely with prime photo models.

We got a lovely lunch offered to us, rice, very nice plantain and very skinny and tough but tasty grilled chicken. After lunch the queen held a speech, unfortunately in French, so I have no clue, but everybody listened and we were happy to take a break. Thank God there was a breeze blowing, the temperatures were up in the high thirties again and I believe the humidity is somewhere near 99%. I honestly have never sweated so much in my life, it just runs down everywhere, and that on a daily base. The ZANGBETO, the voodoo guardians of the night arrived. They are like police are for us, charged with the maintenance of law and order, and to ensure safety and security. They resemble  walking haystacks, huge pyramids of layer over layer of grasses, there were about 10 of them, some smaller, some bigger, simple or elaborately decorated. They danced and turned, the grasses swaying, boy the poor guys inside there, I mean we were sweating just standing there. 

Then more dancing groups, we usually sat down in front of the locals, they get the good view, we get the good angle, just delete all the white tourists in the pictures afterwards, they just don’t fit in. Wild things happen here, it is amazing ! 

DAY 4: THE VOODOO FESTIVAL IN QUIDAH

This is the big day, the Voodoo Festival in Ouidah. It is celebrated across the country but particularly there. All the god and deities honored with ancestral practices and thousands of voodoo adherents, traditional chiefs and shamans participate in dozens of ceremonies all over town. It is not quite so hot today, we’re at 34°C or so. We’re getting used to this heat. 

We move on to the Python Temple where we were 2 days ago, and find a spot to our liking. I am seated next to a Nigerian Voodoo guy who explains a lot to me, so nice. At some point one of the female dancers is in trance and lands on my neighbor, soon after the same lady lands on me, I have to hold her until some guy pulls her off me. Weird experience, their eyes go all funny and they get in sort of a cramp and can’t move. The men were always led away, I guess the females are not that dangerous in trance. 

A few groups perform and we get lovely shots. My favorite is two little girls and a boy that dance away like pro’s, the boy and one girl later come along with enormous headdresses and capes, in the close up shots you can see how strenuous this must be for them. My Nigerian voodoo guy says there are two kinds of strength, one in the muscles, the other in the brain, how right he is ! 

We made our way to another square beside the mosque, where the EGUNGUNS were to perform at 4pm. After 90 min of waiting the EGUNGUNS finally arrive. The dresses are so colorful, the materials in every imaginable color, glittering away, decorated with dozens of cowry shells, even the shoes are fancy. We do get some good shots but mostly it is a situation to remember, sitting on the floor, in the sand, half the population of Ouidah around us, drumming, dancing, shouting, singing, clapping hands. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. Around 7pm just before dark we leave the frantic mass of people, my bum is dead from sitting in the same spot in the sand for 3 hours non-stop, my shorts are ruined, they are more than dirty and I am dirty, smelly and sticky, but it was an awesome experience. 

DAY 5: PRIVATE SHOOT DAY

Normal tourists won’t get to see all this, we are so lucky to be on a photographic culture trip, and have all this extra time with the extravagantly dressed performers. We go to the town of Grand Popo where we have a private shoot with the ZANGBETO the watchers of the night. We have to wait a bit, the drummers arrive, then it all starts, and just for us mind you. Okay the number of locals watching is steadily rising but that just adds to the experience. This is splendid, there is not just one, but three or four of them and they  swirl around to the beats of the drums again and again. This is brilliant.

We start the 3hr journey to Porto Novo, the capital. Near it we have a private, meaning especially set up for us, mini festival. We are greeted by local guide Savio who is a total mask fan according to Kirsten. He guides us around and gets the masks to come forward and perform, it is so cool. First ZANGBETO, then the guys on stilts called KOPDJI GUEGUE. They are cool but hard to photograph, almost like giraffes, long and very thin. 

After that the EGUNGUNS, with the wonderfully layered dresses, who chase people and sends the lots running off, screaming and laughing. We do a black wall session with the GELEDE, which have wonderfully carved masks on top of their heads, they look cool at the black wall. Finally we are allowed to leave and give a big merci beaucoup to Savio and the whole village. Boy, that was so special.

DAY 6: THE MOSQUE, THE EGUNGUN & THE HOLI TRIBE

Off to the city center where there is a new mosque, which isn’t very interesting, but beside it is the old one. And the old one is a background heaven, now just get somebody in front of it. The paint is coming off, it is old and worn but has such lovely color shades, and blinds on the windows and funky doors, wow, this place is cool. We get a lovely lady in a blue dress to pose on the front side of the mosque, then on the side, after that some kids, some sneaky candid shots, a lady with a big bowl of bananas, a young guy in a red dress, in the end even our guide Savio poses.

We drive on to another little town outside Porto Novo where Kirsten has again organized a private shoot with yesterdays EGUNGUNS. There are about five or six of them plus three drummers which you really can’t do without. Of course as soon as the drumming starts the locals show up, all of them with their phones, can’t leave out a chance to photograph a EGUNGUN in your own street can you ? 

We walk around the block with the local king and the EGUNGUNS, the drummers lead the way and loads of people follow, doors are being opened, kids run away squealing, laughing and screaming especially when the green one, which is the fittest and fastest of all, starts chasing them. The belief is they are the spirits of the dead people, of the departed ancestors, who periodically visit the human community for remembrance, celebration and messaging, and if they touch you it is bad luck, so you better run !

Then on to our next destination Ketou, which is about a 2hr drive north of Porto Novo, where we are to visit the village of the HOLI people, they are the scarred ones, with the ritual scarification of the faces. It is a rather bumpy road that leads us the final mile to the village where we are met by a bunch of smiling kids. First things first, a visit to the chiefs house who is also a traditional healer and a medium. We have another sweaty session sitting in his hut as Savio translates from the king to Azize, who then translates for us. We get a sip of alcohol from a beautiful black voodoo bottle, it is so old it was passed on to him from his grandfather, who got it from his grandfather. Tastes a bit like grappa or whisky, I’m starting to like this home brew, and it has a good purpose. This one keeps bad wishes from you. Any bad wish shall be returned to its sender, not so bad isn’t it. So beware of what you wish your enemy, it might be sent back to you ! 

DAY 7: ANOTHER EGUNGUN SHOOT & THE FETISH MARKET

We leave Ketou behind and head for Abomey which was the center of the slave trade many years ago. The landscape is flat, but lush and green with lots of palms and other big trees. It is quieter and the villages are further apart and there are more clay huts and less stone houses. Markets and shops along the way as usual. An hour and a half drive later we reach the town of Cove and leave the main road. Soon after we arrive we spot the first EGUNGUN,  These guys are the best dressed we’ve seen on this trip, the materials, the colors, so many layers of cloth, so much glittery stuff, embroidery and cowrie shells, I love it here. There is a group of locals already there, the drums are playing and in front of them a nice and sandy open space. The dancing is cool and the layers of cloth swerve and swirl, sometimes they run off and chase a few locals, they even chase us. 

After lunch we head to the fetish market. Boy, the things they sell there, loads of dead birds in every imaginable color, dead snakes, frogs, elephant feet and hyena heads (I think they are dogs heads but who cares). Then all sorts of powders, snake skins, elephants feet, charms and cows tails and more.  They even have a living green chameleon which they put on us for a photo. Must bring loads of good luck. Kirsten buys something, and we are then allowed to photograph at the stand of two little boys who have the weirdest collection of them all. We get our black cloth out for the charms and snake skin, then he has the brilliant plan to pose a shot of the boy with a crocodiles head on his head. That will look splendid in B&W. Such good fun. 

After that to the palace. It is actually a palace wall, within it are the palaces of 13 kings and 1 queen. It is her statue that we saw in Cotonou. Bad luck it is closed for renovations, only a small part is open, but Azize knows wonderful stories about all the kings, I love all the African stories, there is always a story, about just about everything. Bad luck again, there is a craft market which is open. I really do need some more souvenirs. 

DAY 8: THE CHAMELEON TEMPLE & private GELEDE SHOOT

We leave for the chameleon temple which is not in the town, but slightly outside a couple of miles out, on an inconspicuous dirt road. But hallelujah once you get there. There is the chameleon palace. It was there before the first people arrived in 1645, the entrance is the mouth of a panther opened wide, a big wall surrounds the complex. The outside of the wall is beautifully decorated with all sorts pictures of kings and gods, around the corner is the secundary entrance, a big iron gate with two panthers flanking it, but the front entrance with the opened mouth impresses me much more. Beside the palace is the big chameleon temple, which is now used a a church. It is huge, at least 10-15m high and about 50m long.  It has so much history, is so impressive and beautiful, this place honestly gave me the goosebumps and put tears in my eyes. We photograph it from all possible angles, wide zoom and short lenses, inside and outside, close-up and from afar.

It is time for the voodoo priest, his name is Dah Codo, Grand Prêtre du FA et Spécialiste des Questions Occultes, I know all this in French because I got his business card. Wow, this guy has a massive house of about 3-4 stories, he must be famous and have many clients. He greets us at the door, and we are then led to the rooftop terrace where we are to wait. A cool wind blows and we have a nice view over the village. In the distance a couple of kids are having a drumming session and dance, laundry is on the lines, people walk the streets. Suddenly there is drumming below us. As we take a peek down we see they have started without us. They do the chicken sacrifice thing we saw at the other priests. Bugger we were told to wait here. Finally a guy shows up to take us down. We get to photograph the two Voodoo priests, then the drumming gets intenser and the women beside the drummers are clapping, singing and shouting even louder now. Two kids and one young man put on grass skirts, like we saw on our first day at the Ouidah festival. They are the Sakpata devotees and we get to watch another ritual dance session. Wow ! 

After a quick, (na ja, the usual 1hr wait), sandwich lunch we move on. A private shoot with the GELEDE is on the program. As we arrive we hear the drumming and singing, and seconds later we are greeted by dozens of kids waving at us, but they all run off when we approach them or point a camera at them. Soon they get used to us, and Kris, as always, soon has a bunch of them around her, shaking and clapping hands and dancing. I join in, they are so cute. 

The drums are set up and 4 men and 5 women dance around them singing and clapping their hands. There are a few benches set up for us so at first we sit, behind and beside us half the kids of the village, the rest is hopping around randomly. The GELEDE show up, these masks honor the female elders, it is worn by men masquerading as women in order to please the mothers, particularly the destructive Aje, who might otherwise use witchcraft against them. The festival includes elaborate crocodile and fire masks and dancing around a central tree. 

The dresses are cool, on their heads is a platform with different figures, from the inside they pull strings and the puppets on their heads move, it looks good. The one with the pot with glowing charcoal on its head is the most spectacular. He throws the coals around and the spectators have to quickly step on them to extinguish the fire, some glowing parts are thrown back in, at one point he almost sets his own straw dress on fire, but that is quickly extinguished by the crowd. In the end there is one Gelade that looks like a pregnant woman, as always the interaction with the crowd is amazing, it is a joy to just sit and watch, the kids are having the time of their life. I think they most loved the one that looks like a dog, when it suddenly got up and grabbed one little boy they were all laughing and chasing after it.

DAY 9: PRIVATE KOPDJI GUEGUE  & CALATETA SHOOT

Bugger, tonight I fly home, just don’t think about it too much, there is still too much to see and do. We don’t leave very early after yesterdays late night, that is good. Near Abomey we turn off the main road and enter the village, soon we hear the drums. As we arrive 5 white plastic chairs are lined  up for us to sit. We hone their intents and sit for about 5min before we move around for better angles. Something like a ZANGBETO shows up, he has like a ring around his shoulders from which loads of colorful strips hang down, like a fat drum with swinging strips, this mask is called a CALATETA. When they sit and move it looks spectacular, like waves swapping on a beach, a small tsunami rolling about, when they stand and turn around it is like a carousel, so cool. 

Their other halves come on stilts and are called KOPDJI GUEGUE. These are entertaining masks who perform at the Zangbeto courtyard in different villages. Sometimes they are given orders by the Zangbeto. These guys are incredible, the way they move, dance and walk about on those things is awesome. It takes so much strength in the upper leg when the sit on their heels, lean back and then come up again, or to take these big big steps, respect guys. As usual as soon as there are drums the locals show up and soon there are a lot more spectators than just the five of us.

From there we have nothing more planned, so back to Cotonou, which takes about another 2hrs. We drop everything in the hotel room, (it is a lot, my souvenir collection grows with every passing day), and head off to the craft market. I do need my spare bag, but the good thing is my home will look like Benin and make me smile, and I’ll be happy for a long time to come.

Thank you Kirsten for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you Moise, Azize and Horace for always being there for us, your help was invaluable, you guys are the best !

For my favorite photos: Go to gallery

copyright 2024: Astrid Bluemel for bluemelphoto.ch