Benin is enlisting the power of traditional Voodoo practices to help preserve its valuable mangrove swamps, which face threats from deforestation, pollution, overfishing, and climate change. The country’s mangroves are home to rare wildlife, including fish and wild birds, and play a crucial role in maintaining the environment by absorbing carbon and preventing soil erosion.

To protect these ecosystems, the government has imposed bans on overfishing and the cutting down of trees for firewood. However, local communities have found that Voodoo rituals and traditions are a more powerful tool for conservation.

In the village of Gogotinkpon, situated near Lake Aheme, locals hold ceremonies to honor the deity Zangbeto, believed to be the guardian of the night. The rituals involve dancing, chanting, and the creation of sacred areas marked by Voodoo fetishes that ward off intruders who might damage the mangroves.

Antoinette Gnanlandjo, a 70-year-old participant in one such ceremony, explained, “This will allow the fish to multiply in peace and allow us to survive too.”

The practice is common in the Mono Biosphere Reserve, which spans over 346,000 hectares and attracts nature tourists. The mangroves within this reserve are critical for both the local economy and biodiversity.

During one ceremony, villagers fashioned two Voodoo fetishes out of raffia and placed them in the mangrove swamp, chanting traditional songs to protect the trees from being cut down. Traditional leader Wilfreid Mesah explained that anyone caught harming the mangroves faces divine retribution, and could be punished with offerings or even death.

This unique combination of Voodoo tradition and environmental protection has been shown to be more effective than government bans. As a result, the Beninese government is now looking to incorporate traditional elders into its national plan to safeguard the country’s mangroves, while also preserving these ancient practices that are passed down orally through generations.

This initiative reflects a growing recognition that indigenous cultural practices can play a vital role in contemporary environmental conservation.

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