Benin Expands Vodun Festival Into Three-Day 'Vodun Days' to Boost Cultural Tourism

On newly renovated avenues in Ouidah this week, thousands of Beninese and international visitors gathered to witness Vodun rituals, masked dances and traditional ceremonies as the city hosted the expanded three-day "Vodun Days" festival. Once a single-day observance on January 10, the celebration has been repositioned by authorities as a flagship cultural tourism event.

Festival Scenes

Organisers say certain practices, such as animal sacrifices, are kept out of the public eye, but they insist the spiritual gravity of the ceremonies is respected. On the Fort Français esplanade, Zangbeto — straw-masked night guardians who act as custodians of social order in Vodun cosmology — performed a swirling, hypnotic display before a mixed audience of devotees and tourists.

In the sacred Kpasse forest, followers of the deity Kokou entered trance-like states for a circular dance driven by drums, their bodies daubed in a yellowish powder as part of ritual observance. The atmosphere alternated between solemn worship and celebratory pageantry, offering visitors an immersive glimpse of Vodun practice.

"It feels more authentic than the big stadium 'shows'... It is a performance for the performers, not for us," said Australian tourist Kate Mills. "It's a chance for Benin to show off its culture and break down Western stereotypes about Vodun."

Government Strategy And Cultural Preservation

The Government of Benin has promoted Vodun as a central pillar of an ambitious cultural tourism strategy, aiming both to reconnect with the diaspora and to restore local pride. Officials set an ambitious target of attracting as many as one million visitors to the expanded festival and point to a marked increase in foreign tourists and Afro-descendants who returned specifically for the event.

Tourism Minister Jean-Michel Abimbola emphasised that authorities distinguish between cultural heritage displays and the private religious rites that remain closed to the public. "We make a clear distinction between the cultural and heritage aspects and the religious and worship aspects," he told AFP, stressing efforts "to avoid falling into caricature or turning it into a theme park."

Political And Economic Context

The festival took place under heightened security after an unsuccessful coup attempt in the country barely a month earlier. President Patrice Talon, who has led Benin since 2016 and is expected to step down in April, attended a ceremony where a fa divination oracle — interpreted by high priest Mahougnon Kakpo — predicted "better days of prosperity for Benin."

Over the past decade Benin has invested more than 1.2 trillion CFA francs (about $2 billion) to strengthen cultural tourism and plans to commit similar funds through 2030. Alongside Vodun promotion, the government is also restoring coastal sites linked to the transatlantic slave trade as part of a broader memorial-tourism effort.

Balancing Promotion With Respect

Community leaders welcomed the festival as an opportunity for recognition. Her Majesty Djehami Kpodegbe Kwin-Epo, queen of the historic kingdom of Allada, praised the visibility it brings, while ritual custodians stressed that initiation rites and other private ceremonies will continue outside the public gaze. Organisers say the goal is to present Vodun's cultural richness without diluting its spiritual significance.

What Visitors Saw: Masked parades, Zangbeto night guardians, Kokou trance dances in Kpasse forest, fa divination rites and a busy program of cultural events on Ouidah's renovated avenues.