Backtrack to Ouidah and dancing haystacks

Wow! Who would have thought that I would be able to update twice in one week! We finished up our last day of model school this morning, and we ended our class early. Et voila! I have enough time to email! I have decided to backtrack a bit and talk about some more touristy things in Benin.

Chief of Voudon

Ouidah (WEEDUH)is a small city on the Beninese coast. It is famous because it is the sight of departure for many African slaves. From Ouidah, ships literally overflowing with slaves would depart for the Americas. They went mostly to the Caribbean and Brazil, I think. The Portuguese had a strong influence in Ouidah. Most of Ouidah's tourist sites are dedicated to recounting this history. The day that we toured these sites was certainly a somber one.

Dancing haystacks

We began at the museum, which is located within a reconstructed Portuguese fort. The museum chronicles all different aspects of the slave trade and also had a new exhibit featuring African women and their influence on commerce in Africa.

From there, we moved on toward the slave route. On the way, we saw the Tree of Forgetfulness. The original tree is no longer standing, but another one has begun growing in exactly the same spot, supposedly of its own accord (no one planted it). One of the African kings wanted the slaves to walk around the tree (seven times for men, nine times for women) so that they would forget where they came from, so that they would not miss their homeland too much. The men and women began the long walk down the road to a tiny, enclosed location where they were held for sometimes months as they waited for the ships to arrive. Many died here and were buried in a mass grave that is now a memorial. Just before the last bit of the walk down to the beach, they came upon the Tree of Return, which is still there, and towers overhead with thick, leafy branches and beautiful flowers that dangle down like giant bells. The bark juts out in little bulbs in places around the tree, forming perfect places to put an offering. The slaves walked around the tree of return several times as well to ensure that their spirits would return to their homeland after their deaths. Where the road meets the beach, there is now a huge arch, the Gate of No Return, to serve as a reminder and to memorialize all those who were forced to climb into the ships that transported them to the Americas.

Hut at Temple of the Pythons

This particular tour of Ouidah was quite depressing and appalling, but important to see. We actually missed some portions of the tour due to time constraints, but what we saw was moving.

On a separate visit to Ouidah, I saw some other tourist sites and even went off the beaten path and met the cheif of all Voudou of Benin (equivalent of Pope, only for Voudou religion). This visit was not quite as emotional. We began the day at the chief's house, which is decorated on the outside with murals depicting various voudou emblems and gods. We entered the house and peaked under curtains into various rooms that supposedly served as houses for different gods/spirits. Then, we took our seats and waited for the chef to come out. When he sat down, we all got down on our knees and touched our foreheads to the ground as a sign of respect. The chief was an old guy, but seemed in good shape. He had clear, amused and curious blue (I think they were blue, which strikes me now as I think about it, but I am pretty sure they were blue) eyes that seemed to penetrate our thoughts. He did not speak French, so our questions had to be translated into Fon. He is quite an active guy. He coordinates with Unicef, or one of the other big aid organizations, has created schools, and still acts as a judge for those practictioners of voudou who break some of the religion's laws. These "criminals" within the religion must meet with him and usually sacrifice something to atone for their mistakes. We did not have a long visit with him, and I don't have my journal or notes with me, or I would tell you more about it. I have already decided that this would be a unique and worthwhile thing to do with folks who visit me, so consider the possibility! Rigobert, our cross-culture facilitator, said that it would be possible for me to arrange a visit.

Statue of Freedom

We visited the Temple of the Pythons next. Pythons are sacred in the voodoo religion, so they are very well treated in Benin. If, for example, people see a python on the street, they will not kill it, and they may even pick it up and deliver it back to the Temple. We got to hold the python around our necks. When I put it around my neck, it sent shivers down through my body. I don't know if it was because the snake was cold or because I was a little bit nervous. I have a picture of me sporting it like a necklace.

Our last visit was the Sacred Forest. But I really must go, so you'll have to wait till next time!

Hope you are all well! By the way, some of you have been concerned about where to write me. The info has not changed. I will always be able to receive mail at the address you can find in my entry on contacting me. Also, if you send a package, I have noticed that those that have "Objets Religeuses" on the outside tend to make it here faster, so ....