Don't talk to them about voodoo dolls anymore, or they'll really end up bewitching you.
“
It's a Hollywood invention, it doesn't exist!
we hear ourselves repeating invariably, even when we don't even ask the question.
Moreover, the word "
voodoo
" is not used here: in the Fon language, this traditional cult of the peoples of the former kingdom of Abomey is called "
voodoo
" - but the Frenchization of the word in "voodoo" remains employed in the West Indies.
And far from the black legend made of it by horror cinema, its followers defend themselves from all witchcraft: vodoun is not an occult practice but a religion.
On the eve of January 10, the country is preparing to celebrate vodoun on a festive and festive day.
The church, for a few hours, will settle in the middle of the village: this domestic cult usually recluse in the cryptic intimacy of convents and temples will tomorrow be given over to the carnivalesque exhibition, and while kings and priests parade in their ceremonial costumes in endless processions, music and dances will replace discreet consultations and private sacrifices for a while.
Read alsoIn Haiti, voodoo is still standing
We go to the kingdom of Allada where the somba flutes, the tchangot tche and the djembes have already struck up their frenzied cadence.
The vodoun festival begins here on the eve of the big day, the time of a preliminary liturgy which aims to invoke the favor of the deities to ensure the smooth running of the festivities.
Because if it is not this anachronistic resurgence of African tribal witchcraft that we sometimes imagine, the voodoo cult is not, however, benevolent by nature: those who know how to invoke the deities also know that they can be employed to do good as well as evil, according to the intention of the one who commands them.
The prayers of the Kingdom of Allada are blessings: provided that tomorrow, no one tries to demand revenge or war from the vodoun.
In the Kingdom of Allada, music and dances to chase away evil spirits.
Pascaline Assogba
Having reached the gates of the royal palace, the smoke of the sacrifices is already mingling with…
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