Tag: Benin
-
Benin: Porto Novo Mask Festival
Today I had a very entertaining visit to the Porto Novo Mask festival. It’s a modern vehicle for preserving genuine local traditions. The masked figures represent various spirits. My favorites were the the Zangbeto or “night watchmen” . These are guardian spirits, who may patrol villages, acting as an unofficial police force. They enjoy whirling…
-
Benin: A Giant Amazon
I’m in Cotonou, Benin, which boasts a 30 meter (96 ft) tall tribute to the Dahomey Amazons. This was an elite all-woman royal guard regiment, which existed from the 17th to 19th c. in the Dahomey Kingdom. The statue is seriously impressive.