Contemporary Vodun arts of Ouidah, Benin

African Arts, Winter, 2001 by Dana Rush

Soon after King Kpasse disappeared, his family living in Savi saw a bird they had never seen before. It led them to the Sacred Forest in Ouidah. Upon entering the sacred grounds of the forest, the bird turned into two growling panthers (male and female). The family was frightened until they heard the soothing voice of the king. He gave them an important message: if at any time they were having problems, they could come to the forest and pray to a specific iroko tree that houses his spirit. The tree was then just a little sprout next to a sacred clay pot. Today, behind the ruins of the old French administrative house in the Sacred Forest, abandoned because the spirits were "too strong" for the French, one finds active shrines, including a clay pot (Fig. 2), next to the tree in which Kpasse's spirit resides (interview with the current King Kpasse, July 19, 1995).

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

Although the Sacred Forest has become a tourist site, it remains a serious place for Vodun worship and ceremonies. During the night and at high noon, all Vodun forces congregate there, often in the form of animals. Cyprien Tokoudagba affirms that the Sacred Forest is the Supreme Court of Vodun. If, he says, you have misbehaved and the Vodun spirits are talking about you, "you are finished" (interview, May 3, 1994). Although Tokoudagba is from Abomey, his statement is confirmed by Daagbo Hounon, Supreme Chief of Vodun in Benin, who lives in Ouidah. Daagbo Hounon holds his most serious dispute negotiations in the Sacred Forest. "In Kpassezoume," he says, "everyone [spirits, ancestors, humans, and animals] pays attention" (interview, December 12, 1994).

What the art "means" in the Sacred Forest is highly contingent upon who tells you, what you know already what they think you know, and what they want you to know. For example, guides at the site are primarily there to receive tourists, and they have a standard tour geared toward that audience. I asked many people how to interpret the sculptures, and as anticipated, I received a variety of answers. Most often it was only the specifics of the Vodun spirits represented that were different, but in other cases meanings diverged radically. In talking to the artists about their work, I found that the interpretation of a piece could change depending on the artist's mood or a recent dream, or the artist might see in it something that departed from his initial conception. In reference to a Janus-faced human sculpture in the Sacred Forest, Cyprien Tokoudagba once told me--in genuine perplexity--"I don't remember what that is supposed to represent" (interview, May 3, 1994).

At the entrance to this Ouidah 92 site, Legba, the horned and phallic guardian and gatekeeper of the forest, greets the visitor as he keeps track of all of the comings and goings in and out of this sacred place. Tokoudagba's larger-than-life anthropomorphized cement statue truly communicates this deity's contrary personality and inherently wayward character (Fig. 3) (10) His most distinguishing characteristic is his erection. According to one tale, Legba was having an affair with both his sister and his sister's daughter. Caught by the supreme god, Mawu, he was punished with this eternal condition in which his desire is never appeased (Herskovits 1938, vol. 2:203-6). Stories abound about Legba's mischievous nature, usually relating to his priapism. Sixteen cowry shells on Legba's chest illustrate two du signs of the Fa divination system. (11)