Visit a Voodoo Village in Ghana

Speaking of voodoo, the images that come to mind are probably voodoo frogs and scary witchcraft. But is voodoo really as scary as we imagine? I was lucky enough to visit the voodoo wizard in the photo when I was traveling in Ghana, introduced by a friend.

• A Traditional System in West Africa

Voodoo is a traditional belief originating from the coastal areas of West Africa, combining ancestor worship, belief in objects and spiritualism. The earliest birthplace was Lac Togo in southern Togo. Voodoo means "soul" in the dialect Fon. Currently, Voodoo is prevalent from Ghana in the west to Nigeria in the east. It is said that due to the slave trade at that time, this belief was also brought to Haiti, the Caribbean and other places. 

• Do You Know Voodoo?

"Do you know voodoo?" My friend whispered in my ear while we were having breakfast, as if he was afraid that others would hear him. He explained that because the neighbors were all Catholics, they believed that voodoo was a cult and that contact with voodoo would bring bad luck or curses, so the villagers stayed away from it.

My friend secretly took me through a weedy dirt road and a small forest, and came to a large house under construction. At this time, I saw a construction worker repairing the wall. My friend came up to greet me warmly, introduced me to this "wizard" and explained his origins. I looked him up and down, but he was just a construction worker, and he didn't look like the wizard I imagined...

The wizard proudly introduced the structure and future plans of the house. He wanted all the people in the voodoo village to move in and live there, so that the villagers could have a better quality of life. He also wanted to build a voodoo tourist settlement to promote the voodoo culture. By visiting here and even staying together for a few nights, more people can break the misunderstanding about voodoo and truly understand it. My friend especially reminded me that the living habits and religious rituals of each voodoo village are different, and the wizards' abilities are also different.

The wizard led us into the "spirit" room. Before entering the room, we had to knock on the door at a specific rhythm to tell the "spirit" that we were visiting. In this slightly lighted room, he explained to me the spirits represented by each object. They each guarded family friendship, health, wealth, etc. The fact that each "spirit" performed its own duties made me think of the division of labor and cooperation with Taiwanese gods, which is a similar concept. The wizard said he would pray for me and asked me if I wanted to cast a spell to keep me away from bad people during my journey. For example, if someone stole my things, I would die suddenly, or when bad people were thinking about me, I would divert their attention to doing other things, etc. I smiled and declined, telling him that he just needed to express my gratitude on my behalf.

The prototype of the voodoo dolls that everyone is familiar with is actually not as cute as the ones tied with cotton thread that we see at handmade vendors. The most primitive voodoo dolls are woven from animal bones and straw. Because most voodoo dolls look strange, and the voodoo rituals are mysterious, such a strange atmosphere inevitably makes people think that voodoo is a cult. But in fact, voodoo spells also have positive spells such as protection and healing.

"The spirit inside is St. Michael, a warrior who can help you resist all bad things and keep you safe." He finally quipped as he handed a glass bottle with a wooden cross filled with red oil as an amulet. Maybe I can be safe during this three-month journey, because St. Michael is really by my side, protecting me.