(MENAFN- AFP) In a wooden canoe on the waters of the Mono River in southwest Benin, a strange cone-shaped effigy in purple raffia and topped with horns sails back and forth through the mangroves. The ...

In Benin, ancient traditions are helping where modern laws fall short. Along Lake Ahémé, the sacred Zangbeto—voodoo night watchmen—are protecting endangered mangrove forests from deforestation and ...

OUIDAH, Benin — As children dance with great speed and energy in colorful robes, guided by the drumbeats and chants from dance troupes, the gods and spirits that are evident all around the arena are ...

AJIDO, Nigeria — Excitement grew in the crowd as the Zangbeto Voodoo festival reached a climax, with scores of colorful palm-frond figures representing the traditional guardian of the night. As men ...

The banks and delta of the Mono River in Benin are home to mangrove swamps that harbor fish and rare wild birds — and some are deemed sacred. The government has tried to protect them by imposing bans ...

OUIDAH (BENIN) - Every year in Benin, locals celebrate a festival in tribute to the deities of Voodoo, the indigenous religion worshipping natural spirits and revering their ancestors. Increasingly, ...

The central belief of voodoo is that everything is spirit, including humans. The celebrations of voodoo are often characterised by animal sacrifices, dances and initiation. In Benin Republic and Togo, ...