Vodun Days festival 2025 in Benin hosts diverse collection of musical artists

Reported by Megan Fahrney. Originally published by Global Voices on 25 January 2025. This is an archived report; dates and circumstances refer to its original publication.

Earlier this month, the second edition of the annual Vodun Days celebration took place in Ouidah, Benin. The three-day festival , which took place on January 9, 10 and 11, celebrated Beninese art, culture and Vodun spirituality.

The Vodun religion, also spelled “Vodou,” originated in the Kingdom of Dahomey, present-day Benin, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana. It emphasizes spiritual connection to the creator of the world through deities, a deep relationship with nature and communication with ancestors. Vodun rituals aim to restore the balance in energy between humans and spirits through prayer, dance, song and gesture.

Religious Vodun ceremonies took place in various locations throughout Ouidah over the course of the three days of the festival. In the evenings, an array of musicians performed for visitors. Sixteen artists performed in total, two of whom were international and the rest Beninese. From DJs to traditional Beninese instrumentalists, the performances represented a diversity of artistic forms from past to present.

Modernity meets tradition

The concerts kicked off on Thursday evening with predominantly contemporary Beninese artists, including Sessimè and Richard Flash, as well as both international groups, Kassav’ from Guadeloupe and Toofan from Togo. Friday’s lineup consisted of groups that complemented the religious Grand Ceremony and traditional dances. Saturday showcased DJs that complemented the grand opening of the new Ouidah Arena , located on the beach.

Bobo Wê , a Beninese singer who fuses hip hop with traditional rhythms, performed January 10 in front of a passionate crowd. Drawing inspiration from both local and international musicians, he said his music aims to create a unique sound that resonates with his community.

Bobo Wê’s songs can be described as electronic, twenty-first century pop on first listen, but a classical Beninese flair emerges upon further exploring his music.

I integrate African drums commonly called here the “Gangan” (talking drum), lyrics in local languages and stories that speak to our culture and history. I named this style Gangan/Pop.

Bobo Wê's “La Jungle” demonstrates his musical style and strong connection to his Beninese roots.

Also featured on Friday evening was Anice Pépé , an award-winning traditional Beninese artist. Pépé built his musical career over the decades, beginning in his village, Hêtin, in the Ouémé department of Benin.

Pépé said his songs are based on an ancestral Beninese style of music called Zinli , dating back to the Kingdom of Dahomey. It incorporates chanting, percussion instruments, hand clapping and dancing. Pépé calls his style “zinli alenou yoyo,” which in the local language of Fongbe means the “new method of zinli.”

“All traditional music is drawn from what our ancestors left us,” Pépé said.

Pépé's third album, “Sourou,” describes stories of “ le fâ ” and “la géomancie,” Vodun divination practices allowing for communication with god through the spiritual analysis of geographical features.

Introducing global audiences to Vodun through music

The Beninese government hopes the Vodun Days festival will attract international attention, allowing Vodun and Beninese culture to be shared with visitors from around the world. Hosting a variety of famous musicians, including contemporary artists and those with large global followings, serves as a means of drawing crowds.

The “Vodun Days” kicked off on Thursday, and the festivities are in full swing in Ouidah. Art, culture and spirituality are the order of the day. Over 300,000 tourists are expected. Doris and Ricardo are among them, having come from Europe to discover these traditions.

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— Le journal Afrique TV5MONDE (@JTAtv5monde) January 10, 2025

This year, the entire festival scaled up its capacity to hold more visitors. Last year, event organizers reported 97,000 visitors. This year, the count was 435,000 .

William Codjo, director general of the Agency for the Development of Arts and Culture (ADAC) of Benin , said this year featured new ceremony locations, more food vendors and stalls, increased audience capacity, newly constructed roads to connect ceremony locations and a campsite to accommodate attendees. The entire festival lasted three days this year instead of two days in 2024.

On its Facebook page , ADAC shares this variety and diversity of artists from all over the world at the musical concert.

DJ entertainment and a giant concert featuring Beninese and international artists on Ouidah beach. Artists : Kassav’, Toofan, Richard Flash, Sessimè, Axel Merryl, Amy Mako, X-Time and Ghix.

Vodun tradition has itself inspired many international musical styles , notably jazz and zouk, Codjo said. Therefore, Vodun is associated with popular music all over the world.

Bobo Wê encourages young people to be inspired by their heritage and integrate their traditions into their music: “Together, we can bring to light Beninese culture on the international scene.”

Megan Fahrney is a US Fulbright fellow. The views expressed are solely the author’s and do not represent the views of the United States government.

Image credit

Cover context image: The city of Ouidah. This archival or illustrative image is not presented as a photograph of the reported event. Creator: DEGAN Gabin. Original image and full attribution. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and compressed for web display; the image retains its stated license.

Publication credits

Written by Megan Fahrney. Original report published by Global Voices. Republished under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. Adapted for Gistmax: formatting simplified; duplicate original-language quotations and embedded media omitted; cover photograph replaced. This republication does not imply endorsement of Gistmax by the author or publisher.