It's Not Taboo, It's Vodoun

I was leaving the office of my host organization when I overheard neighbors mention that the neighboring community was experiencing a visit from Egungun, the Revenant. Egungun, as far as I know, is not one spirit from the great beyond in particular -like your great-grandpa or a deceased friend- but more or less an awakened, vile spirit returned to us briefly from the Undiscovered Country. I raced over and, against the concerned pleas of neighborhood children, proceeded to watch the Egungun as it haunted the attending crowd. At first, I was a member of the large mass of young men pursuing the spirit only to be chased away, but soon found it much more entertaining, informative, and safe to stand on the sidelines with a large group of women, children, and a handful of men. Each time the Egungun retreated it received taunts from the crowd it just chased, which seemed a little counter-intuitive to me at first until I inferred that doing so was part of the fun and spirit of it all. Not only did it guarantee another good chase, but there’s no better way to conquer evil than to render powerless to affect you even as it runs you down the street.

All this was part of the Beninese national holiday to the Vodoun (Voodoo) religion, January 10th. The holiday began in 1996 when Vodoun was recognized by the State as a religion and granted a holiday to even the playing field with Christians and Muslims. A coworker of mine relayed the story that despite the work of western medical professionals, only Vodoun healers could improve the ailing health of then-President Nicéphore Soglo. He finished his term and served as the mayor of Cotonou, Benin’s largest city, for over ten years. He repaid the religion with official status and a holiday to boot, and the people at my site sure make it a party.

I was anticipating the 10th of January since arriving, knowing it would be a chance to learn about Vodoun and have a little fun while I’m at it. As the day approached each night heard the pounding of tam tams, adding to my enthusiasm. Two days before the holiday I ran into a long procession on the main village path following another, more benign spirit called the Zangbeto. While I don’t recall its origins or significance, the Zangbeto is a large conic figure that drapes itself in straw and ornate clothe. After exchanging a few pleasantries and entreating the Zangbeto to some loose change, I proceeded on my merry way. This encounter, however, served as my only festive activity through the holiday. My counterpart and I were dismayed to learn that the Vodoun ceremonies of the next town over has taken part early in the morning when we were working in the garden. A few other locals noted that festivities seemed a little underwhelming compared to previous years. I attended a ceremonial dance the next day in my village and talked briefly with others about Vodoun beliefs. The following day I witnessed the Egungun (of which there were three), and tam tams continue playing off and on, day and night now three days after the official holiday. Whatever disappointment I felt on Wednesday has been made up for and then some.

Neighborhood kids made a miniature Zangbeto

When I say Vodoun you likely instantly imagine a Rumpelstiltskin-like old man with one eye, wearing shirts made of skulls, and whispering how the lizard spirits will consume your firstborn unless you sacrifice the goat of your second cousin, once removed. I would like to assure you that I have never seen a doll with needles pinned into its eyes and sides. No, Vodoun is a religion, not superstition, with the main goal of protecting its followers from evil in the world. Its following is diverse and widespread from its origins in Benin to Haiti and Brazil. (The latter two, however, appear more as cousins today to Beninese Vodoun than members of the same belief system. With that and the fact that Vodoun beliefs are overall not homogeneous, my subsequent presentation of Vodoun is certainly not comprehensive.)

Vodoun arose several hundred years ago from the study of plant solutions to health problems. It was from their medical and divination uses that a larger belief system arose. The world was created by Mahu, the supreme being, along with the main spiritual elements of earth, air, water, and fire. These are the strongest of the ubiquitous entities/deities called Vodoun that make up the spiritual world underlying the physical one we perceive. Spirits often inhabit fetishes (a disparaging holdover word from the French colonial occupation) that dot country roads or stand in front of homes and doorways. Sometimes these fetishes are molded piles of skeletons, rock, and metal and/or a rotund, stone, and anthropomorphic representation of the Vodoun spirit. I would have liked to include a picture of a fetish, but out of obligation or respect haven’t taken any photos of one. What is most important to know is that all fetishes and temples are good and part of the Vodoun belief of protection against evil – another reason to dismiss the idea of poking needles into effigies of our enemies.

One of the dances I attended, which was promptly followed by

a hearty meal for all attended

Initiation into a Vodoun sect is kept rather secret but involves animal sacrifice, ritual consumption, and other symbolic acts. It is then that an oracle communes with Vodoun spirits to discern the initiates relationship to any specific spiritual element. Vodoun theology holds that all people are part of the Vodoun world, not just those initiated into a Vodoun sect. Consequently, Vodoun believers can marry adherents to other religions, though that was not always the case and is not always easy for both parties. There are also ordained priests and priestesses who practice rituals and facilitate the spiritual life of Vodoun community members as would any clergy member of another religion. When people die they join the spirit world lying underneath the veneer of our physical one by taking another form in nature or joining ancestors as inhabitants of sacred spaces.

Twins are revered among Vodoun, often depicted with

statuettes like these when one of them has passed away

(or "gone away in search of wood").

I’m tempted to go into a long-winded discussion on why Vodoun should be thought of as a religion and not just mere animism, but I know I’d lose readers if I did. Suffice it to say that enduring and popular religious practices in Vodoun, backed up by theology, mirror other belief systems we readily call religions. It’s more than just animism and the belief in the spirituality of the physical world. Its adherents number into the millions and take up anywhere between one-sixth to one-third of the Beninese population, not to mention those in Togo and Nigeria. The difficulty in counting Vodoun believers is that even those who identify as Christian or Muslim continue to practice it without identifying with a Vodoun sect. It has an enduring cultural salience in Benin as just about everyone I talk to about it at some point smiles and mentions that it’s an African religion. No imported saviors or messengers. Its holy and historical sites are here and in the next county over. 

Statue of the spirit Legba, the messenger between worlds.

He was punished for his mischievousness with the curse that

he'll never be satisfied with anything, especially of a carnal nature.

Believe it or not I was thinking about all this even as I ran away from the Egungun. Vodoun has always been something I’ve sought to understand because it’s been so grossly and poorly portrayed in Western media. I have developed a far more honest understanding of the religion and hope the few things I’ve learned have helped you to do the same.