Mysticism and modernity in Benin Voodoo fest

OUIDAH, Benin -- The deified residents of the Temple of Pythons, when released to find food, sometimes slither across the road into a Catholic church that once hosted Pope Benedict XVI. The local priest, the snake handlers say, is always good enough to call or bring the gorging reptiles back to their own spiritual home. This is life in Ouidah, a mecca of spirits and gods worshipped by practitioners of Voodoo, a recognized religion in this former French colony in West Africa that is home to 9 million people. The religion has its own pope -- or two, depending on who you ask -- whose reign dates back to the 1400s and ca, on the continent, away,” said Djabassi Manonwomin, a Voodoo priestn be seen about town in his SUV. Last weekend, local banks and the post office closed as the town celebrated its annual Voodoo Festival, an event increasingly drawing curious foreigners. With its mix of beliefs and traditions, the Voodoo practiced here shows both a clash of cultures and the ability for ancient traditional beliefs to adapt to modern life. ”It is like we are sending all the evil in the country who leads others in

the worship of a mermaid deity. “The people today are corrupt, we can see that. It is from the old days, but now more open. ”More people are hungry (for corruption). They put their bellies in front of themselves.” Voodoo, also called “vodoun” here, can be seen throughout the streets of Ouidah. One local school proudly identifies itself by the religion. Down the dusty street on a recent day one could see the decapitated head of a monkey, wrapped around a stick, a curse someone had placed near a shrine of a three-head man wrapped by pythons. While the curse was grotesque, Voodoo generally does not follow the images from movies and novels from the West, of zombies and possessions. continued