As I was conducting research for this post, I wanted to write about something other than blood diamonds which I mistakenly believed came from Benin. Upon further research I discovered that blood diamonds were sourced from African nations that underwent civil wars during the 20th and 21st century, namely Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (thank you, Wikipedia). I likely misattributed blood diamonds to Benin because the actor who played the lead role in Blood Diamonds, Djimon Honsou, hailed from the country.
Djimon Honsou also starred in a film about voodoo in Benin. Again, I made the mistake of thinking that voodoo originated in Haiti. Previously, I had little concept for what voodoo was, other than a cartoonish concept that witches cast spells on people they didn't like by sticking needles into their effigies. In reality and for the most part, people in Benin practice voodoo to communicate with good spirits who can provide them with healing. This five-minute video from National Geographic features the journey of a man whose young daughter was called by the spirits to become a medium.
For a more in-depth (and graphic) introduction to voodoo, click here to watch the story of a man who wanted to learn more about voodoo, so he became an apprentice. This 25-minute film is graphic and I had to avert my eyes on a few occasions, but it is worth watching for the deeper insight into the voodoo rituals in which believers practice.
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