61. Benin Culture benin culture Please submit information or URL about benin culture. Cayman Islands culture Central African Republic culture Ceskoslovensko culture http://www.hobotraveler.com/cu_beninculture.php

Web Hobotraveler.com Benin Culture Benin Culture What is Culture? Describe the culture or explain the culture of this country or submit links to pages. Opinions, comments, ideas about the culture of this country. Thank you, Andy a HoboTraveler.com Click Here to Add a New Travel Link or Comment Add a New Travel Link or Comment To Add a Travel Link to this Hobotraveler.Com page fill out the form below and click submit. GOT a Travel Tip or something to say about a topic? Adding a comment is easy! Just, fill out the Name, E-mail, Title, Location, Comments fields and click 'Add Comment'. * indicates required fields needed for posting a comment Name: E-Mail Address: Site Title/Title: Webpage: City: State/Province: Country: Comments: If you would like to receive the credit for referring another travel site as a great resource for budget travelers please fill in these two fields. Referred By: Referred By's Website: By submitting to HoboTraveler.com, you agree to the HoboTraveler.com Terms of Service Acadia Culture Afghanistan Culture Albania Culture ... Zimbabwe Culture Subscribe to Free Travel Newsletter! FREE weekly TRAVEL NEWSLETTER Top Travel Sites 2004 TRAVEL INSURANCE INSUREANDGO.COM

62. Benin - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Hyperlinked encyclopedia article covers the history, government and politics,geography, economy, demographics, language and culture of the West African http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin

Benin From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see Benin (disambiguation) The Republic of Benin is a nation of western Africa , formerly known as Dahomey . It has a small coast line with the Bight of Benin in the south, borders Togo in the west, Nigeria in the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger in the north. R©publique du B©nin In Detail Full size National motto : Fraternit©, Justice, Travail French : Fellowship, Justice, Labour) Official language French Capital Porto Novo ... Ranked 94th 60/km² Independence August 1 Currency CFA franc ... Calling Code Seat of government Contents History Politics Departments Geography ... edit History Main article: History of Benin The African kingdom of Dahomey originated in Benin. By the 17th century , the kingdom, ruled by an oba , stretched beyond the borders of present-day Benin, covered a large part of West-Africa. The kingdom was prosperous and established slave trading relations with the Europeans (mostly Portuguese and Dutch ) who first arrived in the late 15th century. The coastal part of the kingdom became known as the Slave Coast By the 18th century , Dahomey started to fall apart, enabling the French to take over the area in . In , the land became part of the French West Africa colony, still as Dahomey. In

63. Cotonou, Benin: Second Conference Of The Ambassadors Of The African Renaissance, africa Cultures has penetrated to the world of international scholarship when of africa Cultures is that of IgbaleAiye a site near the benin-Nigerian http://www.shikanda.net/topicalities/cotonou.htm

Cotonou, Benin: Second Conference of the Ambassadors of the African Renaissance, 15-17 January 2004 Wim van Binsbergen e-mail to Wim van Binsbergen for an annotated slide show of the conference, click here for a detailed map of Benin, click here (use the blow-up function to enlarge, and return to this page using the Back button of your browser) for a map of Cotonou, click here Africa Cultures: Introduction Under the direction of Olofin II Olofindji Akandé (Vizir of the Benin Association of Traditional Leaders), the Non-Governmental Organisation Africa Cultures (at Cotonou, Benin) Le retour des rois , Paris: Karthala, 2002. One of the most inspiring projects of Africa Cultures is that of Igbale-Aiye : a site near the Benin-Nigerian border, near Pobe, at a c. 100 km drive from Cotonou, where in plain rural conditions a shrine is erected that is to develop into a fitting monument for the souls of Africans who perished during the passage from Africa to the New World in the context of the trans-Atlantic slave-trade. Ultimately, the site is to grow into a major religious, intellectual and craft centre, with a bi-annual festival meant to attract pilgrims from all over Africa and especially from the New World. The 2004 conference ( for an annotated slide show of the conference, click here

64. Colloque La Rencontre Des Rationalités (Porto Novo, Benin, September 2002): Wim the nongovernmental organisation africa Cultures , Cotonou, benin, africa Cultures holds the views that the current misery of africa is due to the http://www.shikanda.net/topicalities/colloque.htm

Colloque La rencontre des rationalités (Porto Novo, Benin, September 2002): Wim van Binsbergen's contribution click the image to return to the Shikanda portal proceed to the Shikanda portal in order to access all other websites by Wim van Binsbergen: general (intercultural philosophy, African Studies); ethnicity-identity-politics; Afrocentricity and the Black Athena debate; Ancient Models of Thought in Africa, the Ancient Near East, and prehistory; sangoma consultation; literary work also a highly sensitive in-site search facility is now available at the overall Shikanda.net portal homepage, covering all Wim van Binsbergen's sites in a single search action e-mail to Wim van Binsbergen get Acrobat Reader date topic, links details, background illustrations etc. September 2002 . After the conference promosing contacts were made with the non-governmental organisation 'Africa Cultures', Cotonou, Benin, under whose aegis significant aspects of ritual culture in Benin were briefly explored. Africa Cultures holds the views that the current misery of Africa is due to the fact that those who died as victims of the transatlantic slave trade have not been laid to rest. Therefore it took the initiative to create Igbale Aiye, a monument, university, craft centre, and centre of pilgrimage and renewal.

65. Benin Culture Craft traditions are rich in benin, where precolonial royal culture encouragedthe creation of a tremendous variety of art. Some of these art forms, http://www.traveldocs.com/bj/culture.htm

Benin Africa CULTURE [Source: Expedition Earth To Country Main Page To TDS Home Page Travel Document Systems Washington DC Office 925 Fifteenth Street N.W. Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20005 Voice: 1-800-874-5100 Local: 202-638-3800 Fax: 202-638-4674 support@traveldocs.com San Francisco Office One Embarcadero Center Suite 500 San Francisco, CA 94111 Voice: 1-888-874-5100 Local: 415-773-2829 Fax: 415-773-2834 sfo@traveldocs.com

66. Benin, Country, Africa: History benin the belly of history. (Tourism). (african Business) South africa sculture of collecting the unofficial history.(Art and Freedom) (african Arts) http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0856906.html

in All Infoplease Almanacs Biographies Dictionary Encyclopedia Daily Almanac for Sep 19, 2005 Skip Navigation Home Almanacs ... Word of the Day Editor's Favorites Hispanic Heritage Month Hurricane Katrina Daylight Saving Time Ramadan ... Mississippi Infoplease Tools Periodic Table Conversion Tool Perpetual Calendar Year by Year ... Site Map College Center Scholarship Search College Resources Career Center Job Search Post Your Resume Continuing Ed. more . . . Search: Infoplease Info search tips Search: Biographies Bio search tips Sponsored Links TripAdvisor Benin (Africa) google_ad_client = 'pub-1894504138907931'; google_ad_width = 120; google_ad_height = 240; google_ad_format = '120x240_as'; google_ad_type = 'text'; google_ad_channel =''; google_color_border = ['336699','B4D0DC','DFF2FD','B0E0E6']; google_color_bg = ['FFFFFF','ECF8FF','DFF2FD','FFFFFF']; google_color_link = ['0000FF','0000CC','0000CC','000000']; google_color_url = ['008000','008000','008000','336699']; google_color_text = ['000000','6F6F6F','000000','333333']; Encyclopedia Benin, country, Africa History Early History Little is known about the history of N Benin. In the south, according to oral tradition, a group of Aja migrated (12th or 13th cent.) eastward from Tado on the Mono River and founded the village of Allada. Later, Allada became the capital of Great Ardra, a state whose kings ruled with the consent of the elders of the people. Great Ardra reached the peak of its power in the 16th and early 17th cent.

67. Benin (08/05) benin, a narrow, northsouth strip of land in West africa, lies between the Equator The US Public Affairs Office in Cotonou leads the US-benin cultural, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6761.htm

Bureau of Public Affairs Electronic Information and Publications Office Background Notes Bureau of African Affairs August 2005 Background Note: Benin PROFILE OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Benin Geography Area: 116,622 sq. km. (43,483 sq. mi.). Cities: Capital Porto-Novo (pop. 295,000). Political and economic capital Cotonou (pop. 2 million). Terrain: Mostly flat plains of 200 meters average elevation, but the Atacora Mountains extend along the northwest border, with the highest point being Mont Sokbaro 658 meters. Climate: Tropical, average temperatures between 24 o and 31 o C. Humid in south; semiarid in north. People Nationality: Noun and adjective Beninese (singular and plural). Population (2004 est.): 7.25 million. Annual growth rate (2001 est.): 2.89%. Ethnic groups: African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, and Bariba), Europeans 5,500. Religions: Indigenous beliefs (animist) 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%. Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba in the south; Nagot, Bariba and Dendi in the north. Education (2001 est.):

68. Heritage Access | Benin:Culture/Heritage Allinclusive custom-designed group and individual Cultural tours, As withmany of the regions in africa, the songs and dances of the people of benin http://www.heritageaccess.com/benin_culture.html

Dahomey formally gained independence from France in 1960, and is currently regarded as the cradle of the Vodun (Voodoo or Vodoun) religion adhered to by people of African descent in the Diaspora, especially in certain countries in the Caribbean, West Indies, and Latin America. As with many of the regions in Africa, the songs and dances of the people of Benin vary with the tribe they originates from and their geographic location within the country. Despite these variances, the unifying theme is the simultaneous use of dance and music to commemorate joyous occasions such as festivals, childbirth, rites of passage, dance exhibitions and leisurely activity, or sorrowful occasions such as the mourning of the dead. During the erstwhile Dahomey and Bariba Kingdoms the imperial focus on art, especially in Abomey, "The Royal City" and capital of the ancient Kingdom of Dahomey, has led to Benin's international recognition as a haven for artists and craftsmen. These include weavers, jewelers, woodcarvers and iron and brass workers. The arts and crafts of this region are influenced by the nomadic peoples of the Bariba who originated from the region that is currently known as the Sudan, and by Fulani and Hausa herdsmen. The region of Baname is known for woodcarving, Ketou, in Porto-Novo is home to the Yoruba arts and unique pottery can be purchased in Tourou in the north. Porto-Novo, "The City with three Names", the other two being Hogbounou in the Goun language, and Adjatche in Yoruba language is situated right in the middle of Yoruba land. The city is home to a wide selection of Museums namely the Honme Museum, the Alexandre Senou Adande Ethnographic Museum and the Urbain Karim da Silva Museum. Also within the Oueme Region is Ketou, the capital of the Kingdom of Ketou, has the architectural treasures of the Royal Palace and the Magical Door. The Adjegounle Market, famous for its local arts and crafts, is located in the suburbs of Port-Novo.

69. The Story Of Africa| BBC World Service The history of the continent from an African perspective. We know that thelandscape out of which Ife (and benin) emerged consisted of a mixture of http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/4chapter7.shtml

Contact Us Help Text Only HOME ... INDEX Ife and Benin Magnificent terracotta objects have been found in Nok, in Nigeria, dating back to a period some time between 500 BC and 500 AD. These are the earliest known sculptures on the continent, next to those of Ancient Egypt. Later around 900 AD, the Igbo-Ukwo was making finely and intricately worked, bronze ceremonial objects. Against this background of creativity and craftsmanship, the Yoruba kingdoms of Benin and Ife sprang up between the 11th and 12th centuries. ORIGINS In Yoruba mythology, Ife was founded by a senior deity Oduduwa, acting on the order of the supreme deity Olorun (also known as Oludmare). Oduduwa became the first ruler, or Ooni, of Ife. We know little of how these early Ooni exercised power or how their territory was administered, or precisely when the kingship started. We know that the landscape out of which Ife (and Benin) emerged consisted of a mixture of tropical forests and savannah land, affording very fertile soil and a high rainfall. One of the keys to understanding the success and wealth of these kingdoms was the ability to provide a significant food surplus. This released labour, which could then be channelled into creating great works of art centred largely on celebrating kingship.

70. MSN Encarta - Related Items - Benin benin, Bight of, bay in West africa, forming the western part of the Gulf of Guinea.The Bight of benin extends from the mouth of the Volta River to http://encarta.msn.com/related_761577443/Benin.html

var fSendSelectEvents = true; var fSendExpandCollapseEvents = true; var fCallDisplayUAText = false; MSN Home My MSN Hotmail Shopping ... Sign In Web Search: Encarta Subscriber Sign In Help Home ... Upgrade your Encarta Experience Search Encarta Related Items from Encarta Benin Bight of Benin, bay on Atlantic Ocean Kingdom of Benin Kingdom of Dahomey Mathieu K©r©kou, president of Benin ... , bay in West Africa, forming the western part of the Gulf of Guinea. The Bight of Benin extends from the mouth of the Volta River to... View article Exclusively for MSN Encarta Premium Subscribers. Join Now © 2005 Microsoft MSN Privacy Legal Advertise Feedback ... Help

71. Bicycle Africa Tours: West Africa: Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, All of West africa is very rich in cultural and history. to meet people fromSenegal to Cameroon or from the Mediterranean Sea to the Bight of benin. http://www.ibike.org/bikeafrica/west.htm

Bicycle Africa Programs West Africa Bike Travel Programs Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire), Ghana, Togo, Benin WEST AFRICA BY BICYCLE For those who love to interact with people and gain a better understanding of the world when they travel, the Bicycle Africa offers several cross-cultural programs in West Africa each year: "Sahel Journey" (in the interior) and "West Africa People-to-People" (on the coast). Each two-week itinerary is unique. Consecutive programs are easily combined for a more extensive trip ( full schedule All of West Africa is very rich in cultural and history. We select from the best. Participants have the opportunity to stay in rural villages, learn about day­to­day life, meet artisans, health care personnel, educators and government officials and visit historic and cultural sites. Those who continue on to the coast can celebrate by relaxing on the beach. Highlights of the Mali program are visits to Mopti and Djenne, the fascinating enclave of the Dogon people, with its many sacred sites and a truly extraordinary riverboat trip on the Niger River. A few of the special features of the programs in the coastal countries are the variety of ethnic groups, visits to museums and markets, historic sites, traditional shrines and countless warm and welcoming rural villages. SAHEL JOURNEY (West Africa Interior) scheduled for October-November.

72. Civilizations In Africa: The Forest Kingdoms influential art traditions in west africa, spreading throughout the cultures west The kingdoms of benin, Oyo, and the Manikongo sent ambassadors, http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CIVAFRCA/FOREST.HTM

Benin oba , was strictly controlled by the Edo chiefs, called the uzama . The Edo loose village system, however, was profoundly changed by Eware (1440-1473), called Eware the Great. Eware transformed the village system into a hereditary and centralized monarchy that ruled through a royal council. This council was made up of the members of the uzama , and each member of the council had specific administrative duties. Through strategic military expansion, Benin expanded into an all-out empire in the Nigerian region. Benin City . Early on in its history, people within the cities formed a rudimentary class system with the growth of craft and art guilds. Benin is particularly known for the explosion of artistic creativity following its formation and throughout its entire history. Benin art centered around sculpture, either terra cotta, ivory, or brass. In its early forms, Benin sculpture is primarily historical, recounting important events, such as the arrival of the Portugese, in magnificently detailed brass plaques and statuary. The Benin sculptors developed two unique features in the art: high realism and a high stylization of detail and ornament. Benin art became one of the most influential art traditions in west Africa, spreading throughout the cultures west and north of the Niger River. Richard Hooker Change to . . .

73. Origins And Empire: The Benin, Owo, And Ijebu Kingdoms | Special Topics Page | T African LostWax Casting, benin Chronology, Exchange of Art and Ideas the benin, Given the Edo origins of many aspects of Owo s courtly culture, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/beni_2/hd_beni_2.htm

Related Timeline Content Timelines Guinea Coast, 1400-1600 A.D. Guinea Coast, 1600-1800 A.D. Guinea Coast, 1800-1900 A.D. Guinea Coast, 1900 A.D.-present Special Topics African Lost-Wax Casting Benin Chronology Exchange of Art and Ideas: the Benin, Owo, and Ijebu Kingdoms Idia: The First Queen Mother of Benin Ife Ife Terracottas Igbo-Ukwu Portraits of African Leadership Ways of Recording African History Maps World Map, 1400-1600 A.D. World Map, 1600-1800 A.D. Africa Map, 1400-1600 A.D. Africa Map, 1600-1800 A.D. See also Exchange of Art and Ideas Benin Chronology Enlarge for more detail Territorial expansion and dialogue among the powerful states of the Guinea coast region of West Africa resulted in exchanges that were not only economic but also artistic and cultural in nature. As a result, Owo, Ijebu, and Benin, a trio of kingdoms located within present-day southern Nigeria, shared aspects of courtly culture including titles, ceremonial paraphernalia, and art forms. These commonalities are especially interesting and noteworthy given the ethnic disparities that existed among these distinct polities. While the states of Owo and Ijebu were composed primarily of Yoruba peoples, the core populations of the Benin kingdom were ethnically Edo. In their respective oral traditions, Ijebu, Owo, and Benin all trace their origins to the

74. Guinea Coast, 1600-1800 A.D. | Timeline Of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum Finally, the kingdom of benin suffers a nearly centurylong period of One ofthe largest states in coastal West africa, the Oyo empire covers an http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/09/sfg/ht09sfg.htm

See also Central Africa Eastern Africa Southern Africa , and Western and Central Sudan Southward Mande migration and the Muslim revolution in the Futa Jallon push populations from the southwestern Sudan into the upper Guinea coast (modern Sierra Leone and Liberia, and the coast of present-day Guinea). These migrations lead to the diffusion of systems of belief and aesthetic motifs. Prospering from the trans-Saharan gold trade , the Akan kingdoms (in modern Ghana) compete for regional dominance. The kingdom of Asante , under ruler Osei Tutu, prevails and promotes the growth and dissemination of courtly arts. In what is now western Nigeria, the Yoruba state of Oyo employs its formidable cavalry to gain economic hegemony over its neighbors, including the nascent kingdom of Dahomey to the west. Finally, the kingdom of Benin suffers a nearly century-long period of political turmoil and economic depression, but reemerges in the eighteenth century as an important trading power and center of artistic production. First-hand accounts by Dutch travelers to the court of Benin provide information about its urban architecture and royal sculpture at this time. The palace is composed of rectilinear wood buildings crowned with thatched roofs decorated with cast-brass pythons and birds. Inside, wooden pillars and beams are covered with cast-brass plaques depicting court ceremonies and battles.

75. Afromix - Music Le portail des cultures africaines et Antillaises. Ouest africa. All benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Ivory Coast Gambia Ghana Guinea http://www.afromix.org/html/musique/

@import url("/layout/css/afromix/fixed.css"); Skip site navigation Skip section navigation Search Peripheral Links English Header And Logo Site Navigation Home News Music Culture ... Society Sub menu Introduction Artists Styles Instruments ... eCommerce Section Navigation All French West Indies Haiti Guyana ... Trinidad and Tobago North Africa All Algeria Egypt Libya ... Tunisia Ouest Africa All Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde ... Togo Central Africa All Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic ... Rwanda East Africa All Djibouti Erythrea Ethiopia ... Uganda Southern Africa All South Africa Angola Botswana ... Zimbabwe Indian Ocean Comoros Madagascar Mauritius Seychelles ... Reunion Informations About Faq Contribute Submit an Article Music Discover Bibliography News Zambia: Maureen Completes European Tour ZAMBIAN performer, Maureen Lilanda recently completed a successful tour of different European countries with her final show staged in Antwerp, Belgium. ( AllAfrica Zambia: Glorious Band At It Again! GLORIOUS Band's latest release Tata Mpeniko Amano has continued to charm several local music fans in Lusaka. ( AllAfrica Zimbabwe: Jah Seed Speaks Out JAH Seed, the bearded Bongo Maffin frontman has cleared the air on the widely held perception in Zimbabwe that he has a child with band partner, the feisty Afro pop diva Thandiswa Mazwai. (

76. Alokli West African Dance-Drumming Club Learn to sing over 80 traditional African songs from Ghana, Togo, benin Nigeriain 6 languages, Articles on African Music, Dance, culture http://www.alokli.com/

Home About Classes People ... Contact Welcome to Alokli We are Alokli West African Dance , a community dance-drumming club based in Marin County, CA African songbook w/ CD available and more goodies on the way. You'll find a lot of articles, photos, audio and video material here -all related to West African music, dance, and song. So take a look around - and if you're in the area, we invite you to visit us and join our growing community of eclectic artisans . Enjoy your stay! Yup. Over the years we've been mistaken for a goddess drum circle, male and/or female empowerment group, bongo jam session, religious cult, aerobics class, hippie commune, 12-step program, trance dancers, travelling circus, and ethnic fashion show to name a few. We are none of the above. Well ok, we're a little of all of the above. Mostly we're a community of diverse people brought together by the power and beauty of traditional African music and dance. Sound like fun? Read on! Where to Start Find out more about us and check out our in the San Francisco Bay area. Read about the

77. ArtLex On African Art Generally african art means subSaharan art, with the cultures of africa s northernparts see thumbnail to left Nigeria, Edo peoples, Court of benin, http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/african.html

A frican art - Ceremonial sculpture masks , and crafts produced by African tribal cultures , as well as by the African cultures of colonial and post-colonial periods. Generally African art means sub-Saharan art, with the cultures of Africa's northern parts typically referred to as Egyptian and North African. Making generalizations about the visual culture of any group of people is a crude endeavor, especially with a culture as diverse as Africa's. With this thought in mind, know that this survey, as any must be, is tremendously limited in its breadth and depth. Examples of African art: Ife (Yoruba), Nigeria, Shrine Head , 12th century - 14th century, terra cotta , 12 x 5 3/4 x 7 inches, Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Mali, Bougouni or Dioila area, Bamana peoples, Mother and Child , 15th-20th century, wood height 48 5/8 inches (123.5 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. Nigeria, Edo peoples, Court of Benin, Pendant Mask: Iyoba , 16th century, ivory iron copper height 9 3/8 inches (23.8 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. See mask and pendant Nigeria, Edo peoples, Court of Benin

78. TRADITIONAL RELIGION IN AFRICA: The Vodun Phenomenon In Benin In the specific case of the cultures of South benin (West africa), whose religioussoul I wish briefly to present here, it appears that this is to be found http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/zinzindohoue.htm

TRADITIONAL RELIGION IN AFRICA: THE VODUN PHENOMENON IN BENIN Barthélemy ZINZINDOHOUE INTRODUCTION If it can be said that homo faber preceded homo sapiens , both these stages of humanity were borne by homo religiosus , an essential feature of man since the arousal of his consciousness. Indeed the religious phenomenon is not limited to a cult or an established link with the transcendent, but springs from the awareness of finiteness which gives rise to the need for the transcendent. Consequently, all men are religious, even if some are more religious than others, and the manifestations of human religiosity are numerous and owe much to the cultures of which they are the soul. In the specific case of the cultures of South Benin ( West Africa ), whose religious soul I wish briefly to present here, it appears that this is to be found in a convergent way in the phenomenon of Vodun . Most of the peoples of South Benin have very similar if not identical cultural roots, and almost the same historical origin. This is why the religious phenomenon in this geographical region is manifested most fully in Vodun (or Orisha , with the Nago or Yoruba peoples).

79. Masks Rock Africa's Cradle Of Voodoo, Explorer Says Egunun masks during a ceremony in benin, West africa, pause to watch other masksdance. Cultures on the Edge Cultural Survival. ARTICLE TOOLS http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1119_031119_dancingmasks.html

Site Index Subscribe Shop Search Top 15 Most Popular Stories NEWS Front Page Environment Health Offbeat ... Video in the News SPECIAL SERIES The Genographic Project Pulse of the Planet National Geographic Channel RESOURCES (What's this?) Contact Us Front Page Home Masks Rock Africa's Cradle of Voodoo, Explorer Says Chris Rainier for National Geographic News Updated February 10, 2004 View a West Africa Dancing Mask Photo Gallery by Chris Rainier: Go: >> Editor's note: Chris Rainier is a National Geographic Society photographer and co-director of the Society's Ethnosphere Project, a series of expeditions over the next five years to study the web of cultural diversity around the Earth. Together with anthropologist and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis, Rainier recently traveled through the West African countries of Benin and Togo to explore the roots of the voodoo religion in the cradle of its origin. Deep within the soul of Africa there can be heard a distant sound, the pulse of the rhythmic beat of dancing drums. Scattered throughout tiny villages during festival season, the dancing masks of West Africa can be heard and seen. I have had a long fascination with mask dancing around the world, especially in the West African countries of Benin and Togo. Since the mid-1990s, I have journeyed here to witness the rituals of voodoo and the powerful Gelede and Egungun mask dances of the Yoruba people. Now I have returned as a National Geographic Society photographer on a cultural expedition with my friend and associate Wade Davis, a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence. We are in search of the roots of voodoo.

80. IPS-Africa IPS africa, from its regional headquarters in Johannesburg, manages a network of culture, religion and gender This project intends to deepen the media’s http://www.ips.org/africa.shtml

Contact Us Home - Search - SiteMap ... Free Weekly Newsletters AFRICA down From its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, IPS Africa coordinates a network of correspondents and stringers in more than 30 African countries. This vibrant network of journalists provides news features and analyses from their own countries, striving to go underneath to unearth that story about Africa that often remains untold. The editorial staff at the regional editing centre in Johannesburg, places emphasis not only on hearing the voices of those in positions of power and formal authority, but more on providing access for actors in civil society and the majority of the people whose voices have often been silent in the media. Themes for coverage Some of the major theme areas for coverage include Human rights and governance, Health and HIV/AIDS, Environment, Population and Migration, Education, Politics, Culture, Energy, Economics-Finance and Culture.

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