Zangbeto masks parade during the grand procession of traditional masks in Porto-Novo on August 4, 2024. Photo by Yanick Folly for AFP Spectators poured into Benin’s capital for a new festival celebrating traditional masks as the West African country seeks to attract visitors and showcase its cultural heritage. The three-day Porto-Novo Mask Festival drew participants from across Benin as well as from neighbouring Togo and Burkina Faso.
There was excitement in the crowd as spectators caught sight of some masked and costumed figures rarely seen outside their respective regions. The main street hummed with traditional music while officials and members of the public watched displays of acrobatics and stilt walkers perched on eight-meter (26-foot) poles. Benin’s government and city authorities launched the event to replace the Porto-Novo International Festival, usually held in January, and there were both secular and religious masks on show.
Voodoo, known locally as Vodun, is widely practised in Benin. It worships gods and natural spirits while showing respect to revered ancestors. “I’m very moved—I saw masks I’d never had the chance to see before,” said Vodun religious dignitary Severin Alode, 43.
“I’ve never seen such a buzz. It’s a first.” The festival’s main attractions were Gonouko, towering masked figures from Porto-Novo, alongside an array of other masks and appearances from Zangbeto, traditional Vodun guardians of the night.
Even the rare Hounve mask.