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Avainsana: Tradition

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joulu222011

Merry Christmas! – Joyeux Noël ! – Hyvää joulua!

Christmas Manger from Ivory Coast - the Wise Men (in the Museum of Villa Karo)

Only two days until Christmas! We asked a few people from Villa Karo and Grand Popo how they will celebrate the holidays this year.

Villa Karo normally arranges a Christmas dinner for the staff, their families, scholars and their friends. Everybody gathers together in the hall of Lissa Gbassa in the evening of 24th December. In a Finnish fashion, Christmas ham or “porc braisé” is served – but also fish for those who don’t eat meat.

This year some are also travelling. Some go to Burkina Faso, and for example Richard Tandjoma, who works as an accountant at Villa Karo, will be spending Christmas this time with his family in Lomé, Togo 65 kilometers from Grand-Popo.

Richard, Papa Adanou, the gardener of Villa Karo and Boniface Gossou, the caretaker of Villa Karo, all tell that Christmas is the holiday for children. Family traditions include small gifts for children, good food and music.

But Christmas is also the celebration of Christ. After dinner families join the Christmas mass. Papa tells that he will be assisting in the Nativity scene this year. On the 25th some go to church again and afterwards to visit friends and family.

Richard, Papa and Edoh, Boniface and his friend Joel and all the staff of Villa Karo wish you a merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël à tous !

joulu152011

Visit at the Museum: ”Le petit musée de la Villa Karo”

As some people already know, Villa Karo has a small museum collection, created by Juha Vakkuri and Matti-Juhani Karila and first opened to public in 2001.

The objects in the collection bring together, in many different ways, West African and European or Finnish traditions and histories. The collection illustrates traditional African beliefs, especially vodun, but also the ways how Christianity and colonialism have influenced West African countries and people – and the ways how for example Finnish nature-based religions bear likeness to African ones.

In the museum, one can for example find a priest of Heviosso, the God of Thunder (like Thor in the North or Ukko in Finland) who brings justice to the world in Fon, Ewe and Yoruba -tribes’ beliefs, wearing a European bowler hat. Or a hay mask from Tikar-tribe with eyes made of Benetton-buttons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very interesting part of the museum is the collection of ”colons” – wooden, painted dolls that depict the times of colonization in Africa. French colonial administration hired locals to work in the government, and ”colons” represent the local people dressed in European uniforms and clothes. The colonization of Benin (former Dahomey) began in 1892 and the country gained independence from France finally in 1958.

Today the colon-tradition has become a part of souvenir business, and in the same way as one can find Barbie-dolls dressed as stewards, doctors or movie stars, one can find colon-dolls representing different kinds of professions, from photographers to football players and horse racers.

The collection of Villa Karo is expanding little by little, and in charge of the museum in Grand-Popo is Georgette Singbe, who gives tours of the museum for school groups, tourists and anyone interested.

The museum is open from Monday to Friday between 8.00 and 12.00 and 16.00 and 18.00, and on Saturdays from 9.00 to noon. The admission is free, like all activities in Villa Karo, so if you happen to be in Grand-Popo, Benin, be sure to pay the museum a visit!

marras102011

NOVEMBER CONCERT

Real, traditional, seductive and communicative music by MIDJOUBA from HEVE, a suburb of Grand-Popo, delivered the goods on Saturday night re concert of the month.

Midjouba, a folkloric group founded in 2006 presented a great show that attracted thousands of souls from the beginning to the end.

Midjouba, in their concert, tried to send a message to the younger generation about the danger of severing our ancestral link by importing and mixing too much of western tradition into our daily lives . The key to traditional communication lies in the link between the young and old folks and their capacity to merge ideas for good results in community development was the message throughout the concert. All these were demonstrated by short musical sketches to strengthen their message to the audience, especially the youth. A message well digested by all generations, young and old is already in the archives of the folks.
KtL
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