Villa Karo, Benin, Grand-Popo Archives - Sivu 46 59:stä

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Yêke Yêke Voodoo Festival in Glidji, Togo

Me, Rea-Liina Brunou and Marjo Räsänen got our first touch with the West-African voodoo ceremonies at the annual festival of the Gé-people in the village of Glidji, Togo.

The followers of the voodoo god of the sea Mami-Wata gathered there in the mid-September in order to find out how the becoming year is going to be. In the eve of the festival the voodoo priests got to a forest and looked for a sacred stone there. The next day the stone was brought to ceremony place where all the supporters and guests were waiting. The colour of the stone tells how the year is to treat us: the lighter the colour, the better the year is going to be. For the Mami-Watas, the white colour has special significance and everyone was dressed up in white (us included). In the blazing sunlight the sea of white dresses was dazzling.

This year there was disagreement among the priests of different sects about who among them was the honoured one to carry the sacred piece of Earth to the ceremony place. The dissatisfied party started to rebel. In the midst of everyone waiting for the stone to arrive – out of the blue – big (non-holy) stones started to fall from the sky to the audience who were trying to defend themselves by using chairs as a shield. The situation turned into a small chaos as people were running in all directions. Fortunately the conflict got soon settled and a white shiny stone found its way to the ceremony place promising the best possible for this year!

a boy at the voodoo priest — Boy at the Vodun Priest

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Friday Action

Two consequent Fridays Boniface and Edoh have been showing Nikita series to the satisfied Popolese spectators in the momentously bit chilly nights of Grand-Popo. We hope this series to have continuance in the Friday Cinema in future, to know what will eventually happen to the multitalented lady agent!

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Opening Concert of the Semester

As the sun got down on Saturday evening the first of September, Georgette and Sylvie opened the monthly concert at Villa Karo’s stage.

The audience was entertained first by a small theatrical company from Cotonou, with actors from as far as Congo D.R. and Côte DIvoire. Their play dealt with multicultural encounter in a small African village and it was starred by the Santa Claus himself, who was saved by a local sorcerer from the overwhelming heat of Africa. The audience was clearly enjoying the spectacle and especially sorcerer’s original voodoo dance made the public laugh.

After the play a talented multi-member orchestra from nearby town, Les Pigeons Verts de Comé, got up to the stage. The rhythms of the band and the beautiful voice of an originally Grand-Popolese singer Toujov filled the air. The children in the audience were asked to participate in a dancing competition on stage.

In the midst of all the music and dancing, a quiz was organized by a local NGO on environmental issues, which put the Popolese audience reflect among others, the importance of the shadows that trees offer, and to recall the name of the species of mosquito which carries the malaria parasite.

Full moon guarded the homeward-bound concert guests.

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Dinner – and Fulani tradition

I got an opportunity, with Marjo Räsänen and Rea-Liina Brunou, to get acquainted with the Fulani culture as Villa Karo’s night watchman Boubè Amadou – originally coming from the Northern Benin – invited us for dinner at his home.

Fulani’s, Fula’s or Fula people are the largest of the West African pastoralist peoples. They are spread over many countries, predominantly in Western Africa, but also in Central Africa and even Sudan. Only in Guinea-Bissau they form majority of the national population. Fula’s commonly herd cattle, but also sheep, as the family of Boubè does.

Earlier in this same blog Wiktoriina has written about her experiences of milking the Fulani cows.

Kategoria: Villa Karo, Benin, Grand-Popo