Voodoo is an ancient but misunderstood religion practiced by millions worldwide. Meaning ‘spirit’ in the Fon language, the religion centers around nature worship and communing with ancestral spirits. It’s often stereotyped in pop culture, adding to the fear and mysticism around it but even in its spiritual home Benin, stigma around voodoo persists. Driven underground during colonialism and after independence, voodoo was only officially recognized as a religion in 1996. We go to Benin’s annual voodoo festival to explore the religion’s past and present.
