Letters from West Africa

Day 39. The Sacred Forest

In addition to the memorable historical destinations of Ouidah, there are many other places to explore in the city. For those interested in the traditional faiths and Vodún the city can provide a rare chance to take a peak at the sacred forest. The sacred forests are an important part of the religion but are generally closed to those outside of the Voduń. The Sacred Forest of Kpassé in Oudiah is a delightful exception and it has opened its doors to curious visitors of all faiths - if only partially. It too contains parts that are accessible to the serious initiates of Vodún, and some of its areas are open to the Vodún priests only.
The public areas are rare in the sacred forests of Vodún and we are grateful to have an opportunity to take a peak inside. As you enter the forest through its gates of leopard statues, a sight straight from the fairytales opens. The ancient trees reach for the skies and the sunlight shimmers through the foliage above. The ground level of the sacred forest has multiple small temples and other places of worship, these are closed to the visitors but together with the majestic tree, they bend the sense of size-proportions which may be behind the undeniable special vibe in the forest. In addition to the temples, the open area has multiple human-sized Vodún themed statues, most of which represent different deities.
We have asked a tour guide to tell us about the statues and their meanings but we get caught up in the fairytale. The forest feels timeless. We loiter around admiring the statues and taking photos of every detail. Our guide gets increasingly irritated until he finally loses his patience and prompts us to save the photoshoots for the time after the tour has finished. Our guide is out of patience and the rest of the tour goes hastily.
I guess the timeless Vodún magic becomes an everyday thing if you spend enough time in the Sacred Forest of Kpassé. Cheers, Anna
The Sacred Forest of Kpassé.
People can make a wish at the sacred tree py touching the tree with the left hand.
Stature of a snake eating its tail represents the circle of life and death.
The gate to the forbidden part of the forest open onlyto the initiates of Vodún.
Statue of a costume.
A small temple.
Bokonon - the priest of Vodún contemplating over divination.
The hunter and the snake. When the hunter tries to stab the snake with the spear it wraps around it. The message of the statue is: not everything you see, you have to kill.
Copyright © 2022 Network Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved.