Benin,
The Birthplace of Vodun
In Benin, the birthplace of Vodun, the government has been committed since 2016 to an ambitious approach to promoting the cultural, cultic and artistic heritage of this emblematic religion of the country. Following the Vodun Days, several major projects have been launched to celebrate the art, culture and spirituality of Vodun. These initiatives are genuine invitations to discover and immerse oneself in the soul of a country rich in tradition.
The Vodun Convents Route
An educational tour to understand the essence of the Vodun religion
Long stigmatized by the international film and media industry, Vodun remains an essential part of Benin’s identity. In an effort to reveal its authentic values to the world, a unique project has emerged: to offer visitors an immersion into the heart of Vodun’s sacred places – monasteries, temples and forests.
Called «The Vodun Convents Route», the project aims to identify, document, restore and connect Vodun convents into an immersive tourist trail. Five emblematic cities have been selected for the pilot phase: Ouidah, Adjarra, Abomey, Kétou and Grand-Popo, each embodying a unique facet of Vodun history and pantheon.
This exceptional initiative offers travelers seeking authenticity a rare immersion, allowing them to overcome preconceived notions and discover the spiritual depth of Vodun.
The International Museum of Vodun in Porto-Novo
A sanctuary of knowledge and discovery
With the support of scientific and museographic committees, Benin is preparing the International Museum of Vodun in Porto-Novo. This unique institution will be a center for the production, dissemination and cultural mediation of the essence of Vodun, the distinctive heritage of the Beninese people.
The aim is to make it an international reference on Vodun, accessible to Beninese and visitors from all over the world. Its museographic tour, with religious objects, sound archives, films and photographs, will offer keys to understanding Vodun in the history of religions.
The museum will explore the variations and hybridizations of Vodun from its birthplace in the Gulf of Benin (Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria) to the Americas (Haiti, Cuba, New Orleans, Brazil). The scientific project aims to deconstruct stereotypes: Vodun is neither black magic, nor animism, nor fetishism, but a universal and humanistic religion that unites the human and the divine.
Originating in the Gulf of Benin and spreading to the Americas, Vodun has had a profound influence on art and culture. The Musée International du Vodun offers an immersion in this creative universe, between Vodun, Orishas, Candomblé, Vodou, Voodoo and Santeria, on both sides of the Atlantic.
Between tradition and modernity, the museum bears witness to the current presence of Vodun in Benin and its new forms of expression. It also aims to promote educational and family tourism, inviting visitors to explore the myths, legends and arts inspired by Vodun and to discover its universality. On a scientific level, the museum supports researchers in the study of the many facets of Vodun and its evolution in Benin and around the world.
The museum’s architecture, inspired by Benin’s ancestral heritage, has been nominated for the prestigious “World Architecture Festival” 2023 competition in the Culture – Project – Future category.