OUIDAH, Benin — As children dance with great speed and energy in colorful robes, guided by the drumbeats and chants from dance troupes, the gods and spirits that are evident all around the arena are beckoned upon by the old and young for peace and prosperity. And on the sidelines, camera clicks from foreigners and locals follow the festivities.
Welcome to the ancient town of Ouidah, in southern Benin, a mecca of gods and spirits where the celebration of the annual Voodoo festival brings a mix of tourism and religion in a clash of cultures and the ability for ancient traditional beliefs to adapt to modern life.The small West African nation held the annual festival last weekend, with Voodoo day marking the 'return to the source for all Africans and Afro-descendants,' said Christian Houetchenou, the mayor of Ouidah.
Featuring traditional ceremonies, dance events, and rituals in the form of incantations, adulations and offerings, Voodoo — which has its own pope whose reign dates back to the 1400s — borrows heavily from the mythology and cultural displays of Yoruba people of Nigeria's southwest and reflects other sides of traditional religion across Africa, including from the neighboring Togo and Ghana.
Mecca Of Spirits And Gods Draws Tourists And Followers With Famed Voodoo Festival
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