RETURN TO VOODOOLAND

A report by Marion Mayer-Hohdahl

Script

Dur: 31’10’’

 

0:004 Title

 

0:19

Lyon, France’s second largest city. The black face in the crowd has been here for thirteen years. Lébéné Béhanzin comes from West Africa. One of the million or so foreigners, contemptuously called by the French - Pied Noir. In France, as a coloured person, he’s remained an outsider. But at the back of his mind he has known he could return to the land of his father - where he was and still is, Prince Lébéné, son of the King of Benin.

 

00:57

It took nine years after Prince Lébéné’s arrival in France to find steady work - in a leisure centre in one of Lyon’s most depressed suburbs.

 

01:10

The city supports the centre to keep unemployed youths off the streets. French people don’t want to work here. If they do, it’s usually an alternative for those who refuse to do military service. At 7’500 French francs a month, Prince Lébéné’s  pay is barely enough to feed his small family.

 

01:35

The youths who sit here playing games are mainly of Arab origin. They are as foreign as Prince Lébéné himself. But they have little respect for anything. Least of all a black.

Even here, blacks are on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Juvenile offending is common and many end up in trouble with the law. The rate of criminality in this part of Lyon is high.

 

02:04

Lébéné Béhanzin, Prince of Dahomey

At the end of the day you’ve no idea what’s going to happen. Verbal violence is an everyday thing - just like physical violence.

 

02:23

The suburb of St Vons isn’t one of Lyon’s tourist attractions. This is the home of industries, and a ghetto for foreigners.

 

02:35

Prince Lébéné lives in one of these concrete blocks, where hopelessness is a normal part of life. His neighbours are foreigners from different parts of the world. Only a few French have strayed here - mainly because the rents are cheap.

 

02:52

Lébéné Béhanzin

What annoys me most about France is the racism. It doesn’t matter if you’re intelligent, courageous or professionally competent. You’ve got something that the others don’t have: black skin, and they let you know that immediately.

 

03:19

Prince Lébéné recently married a French woman, Marise, who was also born in Africa. He doesn’t want his two year-old son Killian, to suffer the way he has because of the colour of his skin.

 

03:36

Prince Lébéné has studied for a French diploma in social sciences. Marise works part-time in a library. Even though she’s white, she’s also been made to feel like an outsider in France, because of her marriage.

 

03:53

Most of Lébéné’s friends don’t know that he is an African prince, who may one day become an African king. In France, that doesn’t count, so he doesn’t make an issue of it. For now he’s celebrating and off to visit Benin, where he one day hopes to live.

 

04:18

Benin - a small country of four-and-a-half million people in the Gulf of Guinea. Here the name Béhanzin has real resonance. The last West African king who rebelled against French colonisers, was Lébéné’s great grandfather, King Béhanzin.

 

04:58

Here at the court even Prince Lébéné, who lives in Europe, must bow to tradition. Although King Assangan Barnabé Béhanzin is more a symbol than a ruler today, he can’t be approached in an upright position.

 

05:15

And he can only be addressed when he touches the backs of those who want to talk to him. Benin is a land of custom. Prince Lébéné and all the others present are wearing traditional clothing. During the audience, people talk about their worries, news is exchanged and old stories freshened up. And tales of the heroic deeds of the last King Béhanzin are told and sung.

 

05:58

The king’s family admire the fact that he can still dance at the ripe old age of 73. In recognition, they give him money. The king demands respect from his family - particularly from the 30 children he’s fathered by different women.

 

06:31

Assangan Béhanzin, King of Dahomey

It’s my duty to keep the entire royal family together, to invite them to gatherings. Not just to strengthen our good relationship, but also to promote our customs and traditions so our descendants can continue to practice them.

 

07:04

The last official king, accompanied by some of his wives, was expelled from the country by the French. This king was famous for his bravery, his insolence and his army of women - called Amazons.

 

07:38

The royal umbrella and royal sceptre accompany King Assangan Béhanzin everywhere.

 

08:06

Normally no-one can sit at the same height as the king, but in the case of Prince Lébéné, the king is making an exception. Some of his children are not from his five official wives. Polygamy is normal for men here, Christian or Moslem - so long as they can afford it. Prince Lébéné considers all the men in his family brothers, but none of them know who will succeed the king. That will only be revealed shortly before his death.

 

08:39

The king’s eldest son is the local police chief. He thinks the royal rituals are important and that his father, the current king, ought to insist on them more rigorously.

 

09:02

Richard Béhanzin, Prince of Dahomey

I was very surprised on the day that his majesty took over the throne. He abolished a lot of customs. I wasn’t just surprised, I was shocked.

 

09:29

Perhaps tradition is less important to Lébéné. He doesn’t know whether he wants to return home or even be king. The naturally superstitious people here say his great-grandfather, King Béhanzin possessed superhuman qualities which enabled him to resist the French. King Béhanzin has become a legend.

 

09.53

The royal palace is now a museum.

 

09.58

The upper class have always been in power here. The population had just enough to survive. That could explain why Benin is the cradle of Voodoo belief.

The colonial rulers tried to stamp out the cult, as did the communist military regime of the  1970’s and 1980’s - without success. Quite the opposite. In 1996, Benin became the first country in the world to officially recognise Voodoo as a religion. Voodoo is now said to have a following of 60 million people around the world.

For hundreds of years people have consulted voodoo priests and used their potions - most made out of animal  skulls and bones.

 

10.53

Prince Lébéné is fascinated by the powerful cult. Here he visits the Temple of the Pythons. The godpriest Dah Dangbénon (pronounced Dah Dangbeh-non) sees the snakes as a talisman.

 

11.10

The snakes live in this temple. A python is always placed around the neck of visitors. They  augur well - for sickness, weddings and daily life in general.

 

11.32

It’s the first time Lébéné’s been intimately acquainted with a python. This trip to Benin is to help him decide whether to return and live here. He himself doesn’t yet know whether he will really fit in.

 

11.54

The snakes hold no fear for the youngest child of the Voodoo priest. For the children, they are companions. Here in Quidah (pronounced Kwui-dah) python snakes have been worshipped as gods for two hundred years.

 

12.14

Devotees of this temple are easy to recognise. Three months after their birth, they’re marked for life. The five distinctive markings on the face symbolise a snake bite.

 

12.38

Whenever Lébéné makes one of his rare visits home, he always goes back to his old school, which is a Catholic school. Nowadays everything is lacking.

 

12.49

His old classroom is derelict.

 

12.55

The state coffers have been empty for 30 years. School in Benin is for those who live in the cities, not the countryside. Like so many African countries, Benin’s democratic goals have yet not been achieved. But Lébéné really remembers school fondly. Here, his royal name made sure he did not fit in.

 

13.20

Lébéné Béhanzin, Prince of Abomey

If you are called Béhanzin then whatever you do, you won’t have any problems. In class, once the teacher knew you were called Béhanzin, he teach you ten times more than the others. So that’s the way it was then - there was a little bit of glorification.

 

13.41

The History teacher is talking about the heroic King Béhanzin, Prince Lébéné’s great- grandfather.

 

13.49

The teacher knows he’s got a visitor, but he doesn’t know who it is.

 

13.57

Unrecognised, Prince Lébéné keeps quiet.

 

14.04

Only when he decides to introduce Prince Lébéné does the teacher find out just who his guest is.

 

14.26

Pupil

I’d like to ask him who gave him this power.

 

14.35

Prince Lébéné tells the pupils about the royal lineage and his famous great-grandfather. His great-grandfather Béhanzin died in exile in Algeria, sent there by the French authorities.

 

14.50

Lébéné Béhanzin

Béhanzin was not the only child. He was not even the oldest. But thanks to his bravery the dignitaries who administered for him taught him to be king and thereby gave him the power.

 

15.17

Prince Lébéné uses this opportunity to go back to the village where he once lived for five weeks with several delinquent teenagers from Lyon in France. He wanted them to experience African life too, where tradition and respect for one’s elders are still valued.

 

15.39

The youngsters from Lyon helped them build this school building. Lébéné had collected money in France for the project. Women from the surrounding villages have flocked together to thank him. Every dance has a special meaning.

 

15.57

The school is bursting at the seams and new buildings are needed. Everything is done to honour Lébéné. The villagers are hoping for more donations when he goes back to Europe.

 

16.11

Hounsokou Kouassi, school spokesman

At that time a disaster had broken out over our village. A tornado destroyed the school buildings. Everything was damaged by the wind - virtually nothing remained of the school. The roof literally flew through the air. It was terrible.

 

16.33

As Prince Lébéné travels through the countryside, he sees images of the gods in front of every village and house. There are small temples everywhere. This one is fairly new and the gods are easily recognisable. They’re always portrayed with an erect penis - a sign of their power.

 

16.55

There are hundreds of Voodoo houses for both men and women.

 

17.04

For centuries Voodoo teachings have been passed from the old to the young. Many came to the Voodoo house because they were sick.

 

17.14

They stay for months, sometimes years and their families must pay for all their food and the upkeep of the priests.

 

17.20

Voodoo Priest

The gods that we worship, have the same position as the Christian God. The fetish is like a god, and that’s what we worship. But we also have gods that can kill - for example the Thunder god.

 

17.46

Beyond these public displays, believers who talk about what’s happening inside the voodoo house would be killed instantly. Everyone and everything has a special god. Here the god for sickness is being appeased. This dance expels afflictions from the body. It is only danced at specific events.

 

18.11

To be absolutely sure the sickness has left the body, the Voodoo believer is spat on and hit. They also smear themselves with palm oil and egg yolks. This puts them into a kind of trance.

 

18.42

The highpoint of the ceremony, is to steal a knife from the Voodoo priests and inflict injuries upon oneself. The priest restrains the believer. This way the believer proves his courage to the gods.

 

19.05

Voodoo Priest

The knives are a part of it because when someone is sick, then it’s this god that saves life.

 

19.16

Lébéné keeps his Voodoo experiences to himself when he goes to visit his mother. Although his father is King of Benin, he was actually born in neighbouring Togo, where his mother still lives. She’s the only one of the king’s wives who’s never lived with him at court. Fiercely independent, she brought her five children up in Togo.

 

19.42

And at her home she’s always discouraged her family from becoming involved in the local voodoo beliefs.

 

19.52

She says food is for eating not sacrifices.

 

20.15

There are no images of voodoo in this house. Lébéné’s mother Leontine is a practising Catholic.

 

20.27

She’s distrusts the secrecy of voodoo.

 

20.30

Leontine Akonavi Béhanzin

I don’t know anything about Voodoo. I only know my God. I’m a Catholic. For us, Voodoo is the devil. It is not clearly explained. A lot happens in secret. Nothing good comes out of Voodoo.

 

20.51

But Lébéné isn’t so distrustful. This is the sacrifice, the highlight of any voodoo festivities.

 

21.02

The goat is being washed before it is sacrificed. It must be pure for the ancestors.

 

21.15

Not every Voodoo priest can celebrate the rituals. The priests generally have contact in their temples with specific spirits and gods. Drinks are offered - beer, mineral water, alcohol. This summons the spirits.

 

22.00

Now the moment has come. The ancestors demand a living sacrifice. The sacrifices used to be human - prisoners and slaves were offered to the gods. These days it’s mainly animals.

 

22.21

The villagers are enjoying the festival. They’re hoping the sacrifice will put the gods in a good mood. Then, the spirits of the dead will rise.

 

22.37

Suddenly they’re there. These are representatives of Voodoo spirits, or Phantoms. They are in charge of keeping order. They know who is to blame for crimes in the village. No-one at the ceremony is allowed to touch them.

 

23.02

The believers are torn between admiration and fear. They run away from the spirits because if they are asked for a gift and can’t provide it, they’ll be threatened with the wrath of the dead. The fear is so deeply rooted, that many have given up their last pennies. It’s good business for the spirits.

 

23.23

Prince Lébéné also has to show respect. Like his father, the spirits can only be approached on bended knees.

 

23.36

Lébéné Béhanzin

The festival is connected with our ancestors. You simply have to believe in it. The representatives of  the Phantoms have a special meaning for us.

 

23.52

The visitor from France feels increasingly attracted to life in Africa. He’s fallen in love with the picturesque village of Grand-Popo on the Gulf of Guinea.

 

24.04

Here the fishermen set their nets in the timeless manner of the past.

 

24.26

Sixty people work for each boat and net. It’s a communal effort with all the villagers helping.

 

24.36

Even Prince Lébéné is roped in.

 

24.44

Afterwards, the catch is shared out. By European standards it’s a small haul but these people can normally survive on the maize and vegetables they grow. Fish brings them hard cash.

 

25.10

The women look for the best fish to sell and then they are carried off to villages kilometres away. It’s a simple life.

 

25.21

Prince Lébéné may have found somewhere he’d like to settle, but he’s still not made up his mind to return to Benin. He goes now to a Voodoo priest to ask what the gods think about his future. First, the gods must be tuned in with water or alcohol.

 

25.41

Prince Lébéné’s lived in Europe for a many years, but as soon as he arrives home, he leaves everything western behind him. He has visited Voodoo priests before, and he believes the predictions were fulfilled every time. Through the mouth of the magician, his ancestors will give him sorely needed advice.

 

26.11

Stones, bones, and chains are rattled and then placed on the ground. The Voodoo priests claim, that they alone understand the wisdom of the gods.

 

26.33

Prince Lébéné’s future is mapped out on the floor….

 

27.23

Prince Lébéné takes his leave, his mind made up.

 

27.32

Lébéné Béhanzin, Prince of Abomey

I asked the fetsishist what the gods say. I wanted to know whether they approve of me staying in Africa for good or not. I am happy because everything seems to be going well.

 

27.53

Voodoo is important to people in West Africa, but the Catholic church also has its place. Both beliefs are practised alongside each other, often by one and the same person. Lébéné was brought up as a Catholic by his mother, and yet he believes in Voodoo.

 

28.11

Lébéné Béhanzin

Voodoo is a faith. Christianity is an imported religion. Belief in Voodoo is part of this country, we have to believe in it.

 

28.28

Before returning to France, Prince Lébéné goes to the authorities in Grand Popo to try and find a small piece of land. Luckily for him, a plot is for sale less than 100 metres from the beach.

 

28.43

He and his brother, an architect, go and mark out the property with palm leaves. Measurements are taken, plans are being drawn up. Lébéné hopes to bring his family here one day soon. Meanwhile: another photo for wife Marise back in France.

 

29.10

Grand Popo doesn’t usually allow land to be sold to foreigners. But, they’ve made an exception for the prince.

 

29.30

Lébéné Béhanzin

People who’ve never left their country don’t know the difficulties you face in a foreign country. Here, they’ve got some illusions about France - that you’ve a good, peaceful and carefree life. But it’s not like that. Europeans would confirm that immediately.

I’ve never lied to my brothers and said ‘Go to Europe, there’s an abundance of everything there - as well as jobs with good money.’ I told them the truth. The last 13 years have just been a struggle. It hasn’t been a life. There have been some very difficult moments. I’ve only survived thanks to my courage and the fact that I was able to leave.

 

30.27

But Lébéné’s journey is far from over. The land itself cost a fortune: which his whole family clubbed together to lend him. Now he has to go back to Lyon and save enough money to return and build a house in Grand Popo. He is still in France. But Lébéné Béhanzin knows that in Africa, he is somebody.

 

 

CREDITS

 

Producer - Marion Mayer-Hohdahl

Camera - Jean-Pascal Bublex

Sound - Alain Pentucci

Editor - Stan Thomas