I started to writing this article with a smile, thinking back to the dozens of messages I received after posting last month some photos and videos of the Festival International de Porto-Novo.
“What are you doing in the middle of Zangbeto?“
“Aren’t you scared“
“You went to take the voodoo spirits to come back?”
Quelques clichés et stéréotypes que j’avais moi aussi avant de prendre part au Carnaval.
So where to start ? Oh yes Twitter magic !
J’ai découvert cet évènement grâce à un ami d’enfance avec qui je devais m’y rendre. Celui-ci m’avait finalement devancé et je devais trouver une autre alternative pour m’y rendre. En effet, faire Cotonou- Porto-Novo seule pour une “touriste” c’était quand même risqué. C’est vrai que j’adore l’aventure, mais je ne suis pas non plus “Dora l’exploratrice“.
God does not sleep, I found Jean Morel via Twitter who also planned to go to Porto-Novo on Carnival Day. I can not say it enough: this network is a real gold mine. I immediately jumped on the occasion and on the day we went together. I can not thank him enough, because without him I might not have had these pictures.
So this Festival in Porto-Novo?
The Porto-Novo International Festival is an event that celebrates the cultural and historical wealth of the city of Porto-Novo and aims to overcome the prejudices people have about the Vodoun. It takes place in Porto-Novo, the political capital of Benin.
It’s a multi-faceted event :
- The Intellectual and Scientific Component
- Cultural, Cultual and Artistic section: carnival, cultural evenings, cultural ceremonies
- the tourism section
Unfortunately, I have only been able to take part in the cultural aspect through the carnival, but I plan to attend all activities next year, if God allows me. In addition, they have wanderings of masks and artifacts; scientific colloquiums, cultural and artistic activities, dances and shows, concerts, visits etc …
One thing I remember? The Zangbeto are not wizards even less a dance.
I was introduced to the concept of “Zangbeto” by one of the songs of the late singer Affo Love in 2006. Indeed she had a dance movement she called the zangbeto. Being very young was nothing more than a dance for me. It was later that I had to hear that it was witches and spirits that we had to avoid at all costs.
According to Voodoo tradition in Benin, the Zangbeto is actually the guardian of the city, the night watchman. It provides the multidimensional security of the city in material, spiritual and divine terms. If we refer to wikipedia The zangbeto (or zangbeto) is a society of masks of the peoples of southern Benin. Originally Goun, the Zangbeto comes from “zan” which means night and “gbeto” which means hunter. Literally he means night hunter. His mission is to watch over the community and hunt witches and evil spirits during the night. Each Zangbeto has a specific name that gives it an identity and a personality.
That day I saw more than 1000 Masks, Divinities and Vodouns, in different forms and colors. I admit that it was still impressive. I can not wait to be there next year to learn more about the culture and history of the city of Porto-Novo. In the meantime, I invite you to dive into the heart of the festival in photos.
Feel free to tell me in comments the different prejudices you have about voodoo and other Benin deities.
