Benin Voodoo festival rebrands to draw tourists

Kneeling as she gazes out to sea draped in white cloth and strings of pearls, Simenou Dangnitche has just completed the final stage of her annual ritual.

Every January for the past 15 years, the 48-year-old local has joined hundreds taking part in Benin’s famed Voodoo festival.

Participants gather at the “Door of No Return”, an arch built by the beach at Ouidah in southern Benin in memory of those crammed onto slave ships bound for the New World.

“It’s more than just a festival,” Dangnitche told AFP. “The meeting here is a pilgrimage, a rejuvenation, a reconnection with the ancestors to hear them speak to us again.”

Voodoo, known locally as Vodoun, is a religion that worships gods and natural spirits along with respect for revered ancestors.

It originated in the Dahomey kingdom — present-day Benin and Togo — and is still widely practised sometimes alongside Christianity in coastal towns like Ouidah, where memorials to the slave trade are dotted around the small beach settlement.

This year, Dangnitche said she was “stunned by the organisation and structuring of the festival”.

Benin’s government has rebranded the event and changed the format to make the festivities more appealing to tourists in a bid to  boost the country’s economy.

It opted for a two-day celebration on January 9-10 with a reorganised programme in an event dubbed “Vodun Days”.

According to politician Kakpo Mahougnon, chair of the Benin Vodun Rites Committee, the government is considering further extending the length of the festival.

“It’s a new way of presenting Vodoun,” said President Patrice Talon, who took part in the celebration.

– ‘Nothing Satanic’ –

“Our intention is to fully reveal to the world what Vodoun is and how it is practised, to explain Vodoun and its spiritual and sociological concepts”, the president said.

“Vodoun is of economic interest to us, since tourism is an important sector,” he added.

Ouidah was given a makeover for the occasion, with several of the town’s attractions refurbished.

American Christopher Swain, who said he comes every year to “recharge and reconnect spiritually,” noticed “significant changes”.

Ouidah’s public squares hosted celebrations including jazz and dancing and even the president joined in.

The religion’s 73-year-old spiritual leader Daagbo Hounon told AFP: “We need to prove to the world that there is nothing Satanic or evil about vodoun.”

“Vodoun is about tolerance, sharing, love, generosity and peace,” he said.

“Vodoun is spiritual, but it is also several arts combined, as we can see from the songs and dances of the faithful.”

Alain Godonou, one of the heads of the Heritage and Tourism Agency, said the revamped celebrations “represent a major development in the promotion of Vodoun as a real catalyst for tourism.”

They were “a way of attracting more curiosity so that people come to discover the essence of Vodoun”, he said.

As well as international tourists, the government wants to focus on domestic tourism to boost the local economy and “reveal Benin to ourselves,” as Talon put it.

He declined to give details of the budget allocated to promoting and organising Vodoun Days to attract visitors.

AM Live

AM Live is NTV's morning current affairs show that sets the agenda for the day with insightful panels every weekday.

BNX

Business Redefined

Business Redefined is Kenya’s premier thought leadership platform for unpacking matters regarding economic and finance policy as well demystifying complex developments in the region’s capital markets.

Comedies

A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula

Documentaries

A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula

Entertainment

A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula

Full Episodes

A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula

Gumzo La Sato

Gumzo La Sato is a live social issues show that aims to create awareness about issues affecting the larger society. The discussions range from Parenting, Marital bliss and struggles, Oppression, violence, and all matters of the Heart.

Health Diary

Health Diary is a weekly show that highlights different types of diseases/conditions and seeks ways to prevent, treat/manage them. The show debunks this through real life stories and also feature specialists in different fields, to offer medical advice on the same.

Letter To My Younger Self

Letter To My Younger Self is a podcast where guests get to write a letter to their younger self, from which Maxine formulates questions to ask them during the hour-long show.

Mazao Talks

Mazao looks at agriculture and agribusiness

Nation Reports

Nation Reports is a weekly podcast offers an opportunity for listeners to interact with various reporters and journey with them as they unravel the biggest most emotive stories.

One Health Lens Podcast

Discussing health matters and human stories from Kenya and across Africa. We talk big picture from people to policy, ecosystems, and everything in between. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onehealthlens

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost peeks through the story of Louis Otieno, the times, and everything in between.

Podcasts

Podcasts

Primetime

A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula

Speaking of GEN Z

Speaking of Gen Z brings you entertaining but meaningful conversations about a generation that is trying to navigate through adulthood. Join hosts Michelle, Jackie and Esther as they unravel all things Gen Z.

Sport On

Sport-On is a 30-minute sports magazine show on NTV and 3 hours on NATION FM. The show seeks to give the sports “fanatics” and “funatics” comprehensive and in-depth coverage of sports both locally and internationally.

Tech-over

The extent of technological growth is beyond mere acknowledgment; it has seamlessly integrated into our daily existence. A few years ago, the notion of paying electricity bills through mobile money or recharging with 'tokens' in Kenya seemed inconceivable. Online product sales were considered distant, and artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping various facets of our lives. Amidst these technological leaps, those with a solid understanding of tech can navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and build a sustainable livelihood. Tech over Show aims to be the platform facilitating discussions among thought leaders, innovators, tech companies, and the government, addressing challenges and opportunities in Kenya's thriving tech industry.

Thamani

Thamani is a business show which is dedicated to emerging issues regarding micro, small and medium size businesses.

The Politalk podcast

This is The Politalk podcast. Here we look into the ins and outs of everything Kenyan politics. We pull no punches and have no reason to sugarcoat anything that matters to Kenyans.

The Trend

A two-hour-long live show that airs on Fridays. The show focuses on what is current in the entertainment industry, controversial and popular across all media platforms targeting those aged between 25 and 35 years.

The trend podcast

The trend podcast highlights and captures the best of banter from #TTTT segment that airs every Friday on NTV. It's the TTTT EXTRA

The Wicked Edition

The Wicked Edition with Dr. King’ori seeks to address serious issues through humour and relatable wit. It is a two-part half hour show filmed in front of a live audience

Trending

A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula

Twende

Twende is a travel show that highlights beautiful, unique, diverse locations, people, and cultures. The show offers fresh perspectives on familiar locations and memorable experiences in new ones.

Unscripted

This Saturday evening lifestyle show lets viewers share their stories and life experiences as openly & honestly for the purpose of shifting the culture of silence.

VIP Access

VIP ACCESS is Anyiko Owoko’s YouTube and podcast show on Music and Culture dedicated to promoting Africa’s most promising talent and creatives. This podcast grants you VIP access into timeless interviews while providing a platform for rising as well as established artists across the continent. Since launching in 2018, Anyiko has interviewed over 70 African music stars.

WADR

This weekly news show aims to have all sides of debate but not be constrained by it, listen to main voices in the contest but not allow them to hold the viewers hostage, entertain debate but allow push back with all due respect.

When death do us part

In this podcast, three widowers openly speak about the process of grief, how they found themselves exposed to the emotional turmoil of losing their wives, and how society still does not know how to deal with them.

Your World

Your World is a health, wellness and variety show. It provides a platform for audiences and experts to share their experiences on how to improve or manage health issues, across Kenya and the Africa region.