*The official dates of this festival are confirmed by the council of elders in May or June. It usually takes place in late August or early September. As soon as we know, we will share them with the people registered for the trip.
Cultural trip to Togo and Benin to attend the great voodoo festival of Epe Ekpe, one of the great events in West Africa. In addition, in Benin, we will attend different and powerful voodoo ritual ceremonies, which largely mark the life of the inhabitants of the south of the country.
These ceremonies will be combined with historical sites such as Abomey or Portonovo, the unique lakeside village of Ganvie built on stilts on a lake, and some ethnic groups such as the Holi.
Route in Togo
Somewhat unknown, almost always overlooked and in the shadow of Benin on any route, Togo offers some of the best festivals in the entire Gulf of Guinea, such as this one in Epe Ekpe. This Togo festival celebrates the new year of the Guen people and will be the leitmotif of the trip, followed by a route through southern Benin full of powerful Voodoo rituals.
*We have been travelling for nearly 15 years and for nearly 10 years offering trips in Benin and Togo to our passengers, but this will be the first time we attend the Epe Ekpe festival.
Voodoo Festival of the Sacred Stone (Epe Ekpe) in Togo
Dances, trances and a mysterious sacred stone. For the Guin people of Togo, the annual Epe Ekpe or Ekpessosso festival in September (or late August) marks the beginning of the new year.
The highlight of the festival is a priest’s search for the sacred stone inside a walled sacred forest. The colour of the stone foretells the luck of the coming year.
The traditional ceremony of the ‘taking of the sacred stone’ was initiated in 1663 by settlers from the former Gold Coast (today’s Ghana) and has been celebrated more than 350 times.
It is believed that the colour of the sacred stone indicates what the future holds for the next 12 months. Last year, the stone was white, which, together with the blue, indicates good fortune. Red, according to its supporters, indicates danger.
During the festival days, important rites are performed at all the voodoo places of worship to ask forgiveness from the deities. We will try to attend many of them during our stay.
Route in Benin, voodoo culture
We will cross the border and continue to delve into the culture, history, architecture and landscapes of this part of the Gulf of Guinea.
After crossing the border we will head to Possotomé, where we explore Lake Ahémé with its small villages, where great ceremonies such as the Zangbeto and Egungun ceremonies, traditional in the Yoruba culture and connecting with the spirit world, take place.
Continue to Lokossa where we will visit a group of Kponhintos priests, who are rarely seen in public. In all likelihood we will also be able to attend a ceremony.
In this region we will witness one of the most powerful voodoo ceremonies you can visit, that of the devotees of the deity Koku. So far we have not seen it in Benin, but we have seen it in Nigeria and it is absolutely brutal.
In Abomey, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Dahomey, we will visit the ancient palace (UNESCO) and then continue to Cove and Holi territory, where older women have their chests covered with tattoos.
On the coast we will visit Porto Novo with its examples of Afro-Brazilian architecture, and near Cotonou we will sail to the lakeside village of Ganvié, built on stilt houses.
