The Egungun fabrics’ shimmering colours, the swirling of their costumes sparkling with beads and threads, and the lively rhythm of the drums reflect the excitement that swept through the coastal town of Ouidah (Benin) during the three days of Vodun Days 2026. Benin’s heritage and traditions once again drew international attention to its history. The narrative pieces were carefully chosen, the reproduction of the last slave ship to leave Ouidah, the renovation of the symbolic Gate of No Return, indicating the final departure of enslaved people from their homeland, the Route of Vodun convents, and the enhancing of the close link between the Beninese people and their spiritual, historical and cultural heritage.
The Boat of Departure, located a few metres away from the Gate of No Return, at the threshold of the Atlantic Ocean, evokes several important moments of encounters, exchanges and conflicts in the kingdom of Danxomè, a historic kingdom that was later incorporated into the French colony of Dahomey. Departures of goods and merchandise, departures of men, women and children, departures of artefacts, looted or not. But also returns: returns in the 19th century of descendants of enslaved people across the Atlantic, returns in the 21st century of artefacts looted during colonial wars, as well as a desire to return to one’s origins and recognise the diaspora created by the transatlantic trade in the Americas.
In July 2025, American singer Ciara, having proved her genetic link to Benin and that her ancestors were victims of the transatlantic slave trade, was naturalised as a Beninese citizen. Her performance in the show at Vodun Days 2026, alongside Beninese and African music celebrities such as Angélique Kidjo and Davido, signals the cultural and artistic reappropriations of this African heritage shaped by world history.
