Ouidah Things to Do

Chacha Place was the site of the old slave market where the slaves were auctioned under the big tree, planted in 1747 by one of the Dahomey Kings. They were then taken to the dungeons to await their shipment to America. There is a monument of hope to the slaves who were shipped here and the home of Don Francisco de Souza the main slave trader.

The Cathedral is not one of the prettiest, and considering all the other fascinating and wonderful things to do and see in Ouidah it is easy enough to miss. It was built in the early 20th century and refurbished in the 1980's.
It is opposite the entrance to the python temple - far more interesting!

The Chodaton plantation is the venue for the annual festival in honour of twins which is held the first Sunday in October. Twins travel from all over the country and are given special food to eat, then they celebrate with their families.
Twins are considered extremely special and a great blessing in Benin. If a woman gives birth to twins she becomes a very important person with great status and is considered very lucky. The twins are treated as special and everything must be shared equally between them.
If one of the twins dies the surviving twin has to carry around with them a small carved replica of their dead brother or sister which has to be dressed in identical clothes and given a small bit of the same food. The dead twin is not described as dead but “has gone to the forest to look for wood”

The forest of King Kpasse has been a highly important sacred place in Ouidah for hundreds of years, and only Voodoo priests and priestesses were allowed to enter until 1992 when it was opened to the public for the first annual Voodoo Arts and Culture Festival.
King Kpasse ruled the Xweda people in the 16th century and at this time the Kings of Dahomey were looking to expand their kingdom. To escape being captured Kpasse fled to the sacred forest and turned himself into a tree, which is still there.
The entrance to the sacred forest is guarded by 2 panthers, and the forest contains many temples. Most of these temples and some parts of the forest are closed to the public as they are reserved for Voodoo ceremonies. There are statues of the Voodoo gods and scrap metal sculptures. The trees are really old and tall and it is very peaceful in the forest. It takes about 1 hour to walk around, more if you want to know the stories of all the temples and the statues.
The Sacred Forest is open from 9am to 7pm. It is worth getting a guide who can explain the statues to you, as they are really interesting.

One of the most quiet and silent beach that I ever visited is the Casa Del Papa beach in Ouidah. This beach is slightly rough. But very clean and beautiful. The maximum number of people whom I have seen in this beach during my numerous visits was during a party when there were 30 people. But otherwise I have always been happy enough to be the only one around the beach.

This museum is situated in the Ouidah Town within the compound of the Portuguese Fort. In its earliest days the Portuguese conducted trade for slaves within the walls of the compound, and throughout its history until it was taken by the Kingdom of Dahomey it served as the site of the diplomatic presence of Portugal in the area. After the fort became property of Dahomey in 1961, the Dahomean government began restoration, and in 1967 the fort became the Ouidah Museum of History.

If you are in Benin in the month of Jan, then you can attend the Annual Voodoo Festival on Jan 10. 60 percent of Benin's 6.3 million people practice voodoo. Almost 10,000 people visit ouidah every year to attend the festivals. Natives who live in US and south America come to re-live the cultural and traditional practices. The annual festival is held in tents decorated with the flags of different voodoo sects on a beach in the picturesque, coastal town of Ouidah, about 15 miles west of the commercial capital, Cotonou. The head of the Voodoo sect in Ouidah, lead the prayers before sacrificing goats and chickens on a seaside altar.

Ouidah is the place where million African was reduced as slaves and envoys in other countries throughout the world. This beach is one among so many others which were the starting place for the tragedy without Return. This beautiful and calm beach now shelters Porte du retour. The Porte du retour commemerates and asks the slaves to return to their homeland.