Ceremony for the construction of a Vodun, a “god-object” that the initiate will always bring with him. Bokono (priest) Dah Sodadjo sews the Cauri shells (small white shells, once used as coins) on the “Vodun” coating. The object is made of organic and vegetable material: its composition follows a millenary tradition in craft which is passed on from generation to generation.
Cové, Benin, 2016
Two women wait for the parade celebrating the coronation of King Dah Migan Hagla, from the Vodun village of Tindji Assanlin. According to Beninese constitution the king has no formal role but, in fact, he plays a very important role for the villages and constitutes an essential reference for the whole population, which venerates him and obey his orders.
Tindi Assanlin, Abomey, Benin, 2016
The Gbedagba fetish market in Abomey is one of the largest in West Africa. Here you can find poultry, reptile and mammal carcases, live animals, herbs and roots: all the ingredients that a Vodun ceremony officiant might request. The fetish merchant profession is passed on from father to son. Abomey, Benin, 2016
A moment in a Vodun mass celebration, a result of religious syncretism with Catholicism. Many passages are taken from the Catholic mass, like the communion with kola seeds. On Sunday two different masses are held: in the morning, for women and children, and in the evening, for men. Abomey, Benin, 2016
Sodji hill is one of 41 hills in Dassa, a town in central Benin. Its stones keep the traces of cavities where the soldiers of Dahomey reign used to prepare the gunpowder used to capture men and women who sought refuge here to avoid being captured and sold as slaves. The slaves spread Vodun amongst the world.
Dassa, Benin, 2016