This is where Vodoun was born — a monotheistic religion whose primordial creator God is both masculine and feminine, thereby abolishing all boundaries of gender. This original divinity is known as Mawu-Lissa, commonly represented by the moon and the sun.

​

From Mawu-Lissa emerged intermediary divinities that connect human beings to the elements of the world: to the earth through Sakpata, to water through Tohossou, to fire through Heviosso, master of lightning, and to air and perpetual movement through Dan, the sacred python.
 

These powers are joined by other major Vodoun deities: Gou, god of iron; Legba, a protective and mediating divinity; Aziza, spirit of the forest; Mami Wata, goddess of the sea; among many others.

Fâ, a divinatory science, a form of wisdom and a remarkable philosophy, constitutes a cornerstone of the Vodoun religion in Benin. It interprets the signs of destiny and guides human beings, establishing a dialogue between humans and divinities, and creating harmony between the visible and the invisible.

Vodoun is, at its origin, the result of multiple spiritual and cultural intersections. It draws its foundations from Yoruba, Fon, Ewe, and Ashanti traditions, rooted in geographical areas that today correspond to Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana.

Born in what is now the territory of Benin, Vodoun very early transcended the borders of its birthplace, crossing oceans and continents, carried by history and transatlantic exchanges such as the slave trade. In contact with the cultures that received it, Vodoun transformed and enriched itself. Today, it brings together millions of believers around the world.

Vodoun addresses the individual in what is most intimate and singular. It situates each person within a lineage, protected and guided by ancestors.
 

For here, “the dead are not dead”: they watch over the living, participate in the balance of the group, and ensure the protection of the community.
 

Here, when the human soul leaves its corporeal envelope, it rises to protect the living.

For centuries, this spirituality has manifested itself in everyday life, within the visible and lived space. It can be seen through Legba figures placed before houses; the dances of the Egungun (ancestors returned among the living); those of the Zangbetos (guardians of the night); the Guèlèdè performances (celebrating the power of mothers); as well as in temples dedicated to each deity, adorned with paintings and sculptures.
All these forms reveal the beauty, power, and richness of Vodoun.

​

YEHWE VODOUN is the title of the exhibition presented at the Musée de la Fondation Zinsou in Ouidah. It brings together works by fifteen artists of diverse origins, who explore spirituality — and Vodoun in particular — through a plurality of artistic techniques.

According to historian Gabin Djimassè, the expression Yèhwé Vodoùn constitutes the etymological origin of the word Vodoun. In Fon, yè refers to shadow or spirit; xwé to withdrawal; vo to what is set apart, sacred; and dùn or don evokes distance.
It is the immaterial, the invisible spirit — one who has lived on earth and has been transformed. This is Vodoun.