In the letter Fr McFadden mentioned the names of the priests who attended the funeral Mass. Beninese worship a pantheon of Voodoo deities and with a good guide and a few financial inducements, authentic ceremonies can be witnessed all year round. Feeling positive now. In Benin, descent is patrilineal, as only the father appeals to ancestors on behalf of the family. His twosons, Paul, born in December 1951 and his younger brother, Brian, born in November 1953, just after his father had gone to Nigeria, were not old enough to fully understand the circumstances surrounding their dads death at the age of 37. It was the crowning moment in a miraculous spiritual adventure. The Roman Catholic Christians in Benin have 900 women and men in religious order and 440 priests. A Christian worship service inside the Cotonou Cathedral. Everywhere I went, I was accompanied by gawping children performing their jaunty little song: "Yovo(white man),yovo, ca va? Benin City is situated on a branch of the Benin River and lies along the main highways from Lagos to the eastern states. Spiritualist belief developed during the early decades of the movement. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. Living Faith Means Living Justly Programme, Jos: Causes of violence are not religious. In a trance, they laughed and howled as priests blessed a pot of water. . People wearing masks during the Egungun Ceremony, Benin (Shutterstock). shouted Remi above the cacophony. Bishop Patrick J Kelly of Benin City was present at the mortuary for the removal of Brians remains to the Holy Cross Cathedral in Benin City. As reported by BBC, their newly formed kingdom, Igodomigodo, was ruled by kings who were called Ogisos, or "rulers of the sky.". In addition, Brians cousin, who had spent some time in Kenya, advised Brian to contact the Society of African Missions (SMA) in Cork City. Voodoo priests ask these gods to intervene on behalf of ordinary people but local adherents stress that they have nothing to do with sorcery or black magic. The figure disappeared into the night. Female leadership and business management has been essential in the history of these churches. 2023 BBC. Brian contacted Fr. Roman Catholic Christians account for 27% of Benin's population. In a general sense, the term "juju" can be used to refer to magical properties dealing with good luck. I met an English-speaking teacher called Yvette who took me to see a local Fa reader. It is imperative to mention that during the tenure of Fr . Remi, a local guide, showed me the marketplace where slavers bartered 15 male Africans for one cannon. The Best Things to Do in Benin City, Nigeria The syncretism of Beninese religious life ensured some would be worshipping animist deities later that day. IGHODARO AYELALA SPIRITUAL TEMPLE was incorporated in BENIN-CITY, Nigeria with Registration Number 89089. In Benin, Fa is predominantly associated with two ethnic groups, the Fon and the Yoruba. The city also manufactures furniture and produces beer and soft drinks. Spiritual music, lyrics, and videos from Benin City, NG on ReverbNation The next day I would witness something extraordinary. b. - Ramandeep Kaur Cheema. The smaller side streets were also built in mathematical patterns. A pioneer Missionary to the North America born on the 16th June 1947 at Iguogie, in Benin City. Casmin was soon swirling his beads around, eyes glazed and mumbling repetitive invocations. Just like most nominal Muslims, some nominal Christians also practice traditional local religious beliefs. was then in Rome receiving his faculties as the Local Ordinary of Benin City. Ewuare also rebuilt the capital (present-day Benin City), endowing it with great walls and moats. However, upon further inspection, they realized there were clear patterns in the architecture and the actual layout of the city. Died at Auchi. 'plaything') is a spiritual belief system incorporating objects, such as amulets, and spells used in religious practice in West Africa by the people of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Congo and Cameroon. In October 1953 Brian McCormack, a native of Castlebar, Co. Mayo, entered the Colonial Service and took up employment as an agricultural engineer in Mid-West Nigeria. However, today's Benin City remains one of Nigeria's most prosperous centers of trade. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Benin-historical-kingdom-West-Africa, Art and Life in Africa - University of Iowa Museum of Art - Benin Kingdom, World History Encyclopedia - Kingdom of Benin, The British Museum - Benin: an African kingdom, Humanities LibreTexts - Kingdom of Benin (1180 CE 1897 CE), kingdom of Benin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Benin City has a renowned teaching hospital and a number of factories. By the 1100s, the Edo people gained independence from the Ogisos. It traces the final 3.5km walk made by thousands of slaves from Ouidah to the Atlantic coast, many dispatched long after abolition by Dom Francisco de Souza. Juju or ju-ju (French: joujou, lit. Spiritualism in Benin is a religious movement based on the belief that departed souls can interact with the living. These gatherings evolved into the Sunday church services that became common in spiritualist churches in the 20th century. Meeting a Beninese king is a real highlight and not difficult to arrange: bring something to toast him and present a gratuity of about US$25-50. Many of them exported their Voodoo culture to colonies such as Brazil and Haiti, and the longer I spent in Ouidah, the more the still thriving undercurrent of spirit-worship began to reveal itself. I entered the now modest Abomey palace of King Benhanzin II, kowtowing at his feet so my forehead brushed the ground. Religion and the spiritual realm Art and politics Rites of passage Masquerade basics Art and the individual . Just five months into his contract on 20th March, 1954 he died from natural causes while inspecting a rice plantation project near Agenebode, a 2-hour drive from Benin City where he lived. Masked participants of the Egungun Ceremony, Benin (Shutterstock). Water, quartz and cowry shells were also heaped on the cast beads. Registered Charity Number (RCN): 20006211. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. From \"Today In Africa\"Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TRACKSTravelChannel/Content licensed from ZED Media to Little Dot Studios.Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com Spiritual Healer - Native doctor - Self-employed | LinkedIn I'd fallen completely under her spell. His son Eweka is regarded as the first oba, or king, of Benin, though authority would remain for many years with a hereditary order of local chiefs. Each home was also outfitted with a well, which provided the family with fresh water. In present-day Benin and Nigeria, Dahomey, a Fon kingdom founded in the seventeenth century, and Oyo, a Yoruba kingdom founded in the fourteenth century, were rival states. Women Leaders in African History: Idia, First Queen Mother of Benin Vodun is a traditional religion that connects not only West Africans in Togo, Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana, but is spread throughout the diaspora. The population of Benin is approximately 10.8 million people with their official dialect being French. Spiritual healing can be very empowering for the client, as there is a desire on the healers part to enable each person to heal themselves. 2. The sign is determined by the diviner and named aloud, solidifying the results. The nuts are tossed and caught systematically, and their positions are recorded on the divination boards, which are covered in a divination powder made of the irosun tree, or another plant powder, such as bamboo. The reality of Voodoo in Benin - BBC News From the sand dunes of Mauritania to the currents of River Senegal, to the Lions of the Beninese savannah to the spirits of the forests of Gabon, this series explores the origin, the nature and the survival of deep links between several populations in West Africa and their habitat.Each episode takes us to discover an emblematic landscape: the river (Senegal), the desert (Mauritania), the forest (Gabon) and the savannah (Benin). Juju - Wikipedia Porto Novo's ceremonial king no longer resides inside Honme's maze of red-earthen compounds. Frenzied drumming ushered the Egungun into the compound. I wandered the city's caramel-coloured, sandy streets, noting sumptuous architectural landmarks such as the Portuguese Fort built in 1721 to administer slave transportations, and Afro-Brazilian mansions of emancipated slaves returning from the Americas. Tel: 0044 2079 939 017. Possessed by the dead, men wore flamboyant sequin-spangled capes adorned with animal and human motifs. It communicated to visiting ambassadors, traders, courtiers, and subjects the power and wealth of the Oba (the king). Two brothers, Joe and Ger, and a sister, Eileen Irwin, still reside in Castlebar. 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Mr Yaseen, a spiritualist with the highest level of Knowledge. In a village north of Ouidah, the group met with a. Chatwin's narrative of bloodthirsty African kings, slavery, and French and Portuguese ambitions, is enthralling. spiritualist in benin city Spiritualists sought to make contact with the dead, commonly through the assistance of a medium, which is a person believed to have the ability to contact spirits directly. Benin: A Country Armed With Powerful Spirituality Fundraiser TRACKS - Travel Documentaries 564K subscribers 979K views 11 months ago In human cultures in general, and perhaps particularly in. Those suffering from grief after the death of loved ones have been offered the possibility of communicating with them. However, they also took great pride in their city. It is quite small at 9.6 inches high, 4.9 inches wide, and 2.4 inches deep (24.5 cm H, 12.5 cm W, and 6 cm D). The belief that the dead communicate with the living, as through a medium. spiritualist synonyms, spiritualist pronunciation, spiritualist translation, English dictionary definition of spiritualist. Prior to the year 900, the location of today's Benin City was a dense and inhospitable rainforest. And then fate eventually smiled upon me. "The power of Mawa-Lissa (Voodoo's Supreme Being) sent Fa to earth as a medium to answer questions about the future," Yvette told me, also describing how the medium casts his beads into one of 256 positions that he then interprets as the word of his god. Living Faith Church, GRA. Benin City. - EEK OF SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS Today, Ifa divination is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, and bokonon have continued to adapt to and take advantage of technology, selling palm nuts and divining trays on Etsy and even performing divinations over WhatsApp. But Voodoo is more than a belief system, it is a complete way of life, including culture, philosophy, language, art, dance, music and medicine. Islam was brought into Benin by the Songhai-Dendi traders and Hausa from the north. I lost all my hopes getting rid of this evil spirit after trying many years get rid of him but you made the impossible thing into possible and that is out of our life. However, my next destination, Chatwin's occult capital Ouidah, promised something a little morenoire. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Ikhuiwu is an African Canadian. Unlike many western religious beliefs, Yoruba spirituality emphasizes living a good life; reincarnation is part of the process and is something to be looked forward to. I lost all my hopes getting rid of this evil spirit after trying many years get rid of him but you made the impossible thing into possible and that is out of our life. Elsewhere, I learnt that Glele's harem once overflowed with 4,000 brides - remarkably his libido and heart held out for 31 years of rule. May Brian Senior rest in peace until the day of the Resurrection. In the inner sanctum of the Djeho Temple, built by Glele for his father Ghezo, the mortar is forged from the blood of 41 slaves. Initially, Europeans who visited the city described it as "disorganized." Their mother remarried in 1956 and had 5 more children, 3 girls and 2 boys. After the Mass he carried a memento from the grave and the candle used during the Mass back to Ireland with him. This rivalry resulted in a high degree of religious and cultural exchange between the Fon and Yoruba, with Dahomey making a conscious effort to incorporate Yoruba art, deities, and cultureincluding Ifa divinationinto its existing set of beliefs. P.D. Hornbills glided across the road with greater ease than the strugglingtaxis-brousse(bush taxis) bearing chassis-bending loads of people and cargo bound for Cotonou. Brian began his quest for information about the whereabouts of the grave by contacting the Colonial Office in London. The Republic of Benin is a West African country that is bordered by Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Nigeria. Benin, one of the principal historic kingdoms of the western African forest region (fl. In a cupboard-sized room, crammed with potions, the medium Casmin Fabiyi fingered his Fa beads (threads of eight wooden disks) like a rosary. Late in the 13th century, royal power began to assert itself under the oba Ewedo and was firmly established under the most famous oba, Ewuare the Great (reigned c. 144080), who was described as a great warrior and magician. As reported by The Guardian, the residents were likely active in the evenings, as the streets were outfitted with street lights fueled with palm oil. Following the Punitive Expedition of 1897, Benin City remained under British control for more than 60 years. Vodun which means spirit in the Ewe and Fon language is widely practiced by many West African countries mostly in the southern and central regions of Benin. Synonyms for SPIRITUALIST: psychic, spiritist, medium, channeler, clairvoyant, telepath, channel, mentalist, mind reader, sensitive As part of the healing process, some healers use touch while others will have their hands a few inches away from the clients body or will simply sit opposite their client. They regularly gathered together to create artwork, visit galleries, and have lively debates. Tradition asserts that the Edo people became dissatisfied with the rule of a dynasty of semimythical kings, the ogisos, and in the 13th century they invited Prince Oranmiyan of Ife to rule them. Joseph Omesa (later Monsignor) replaced him. He spent the next two days with his friend, Tajudeen who is a Muslim, tidying up the grave and painting it. It predates the use of modern earth-moving equipment or technology in these. gospel blog | ReverbNation The Slave Trade, Depopulation and Human Sacrifice in Benin History. The practices or doctrines of those holding such a belief. As he told me about Voodoo's living dead we consumed Johnny Walker whisky. Benin is bathed in simplistic beauty yet possesses a thrilling, mystical underbelly. - Every human soul survives the death of the body and enters a spirit-world that surrounds The subject of Brians sudden death so far from home was scarcely ever mentioned over the years. - When people are ill, it is common for them to say that they are low in energy; conversely when people are healthy, we talk about them bursting with energy. Dr. Guillory's upcoming book draws on years of archival research, ethnographic observation, and oral history interviews to . There are 10+ professionals named "Spiritual Healer", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Christianity entered Benin during the late 16th century. It traces the journey of people of African descent throughout the world: in Ghana, the Ewe people call it Vodun; in Brazil, it is Vodum; in . I would like to say thanks once again. 4 IZIEGBE STREET, OFF AIKHIOBARE STREET, GRA. Each of the city's 11 divisions included workshops, where artisans created sculptures, cast bronze plaques, and carved ivory. Dr Susan Oduwa voodoo and herbal temple | Bnin - Facebook Its door was firmly shut. The human body is composed of mind, spirit and emotions. St. Sings | ReverbNation In addition to being the fourth-largest city in Nigeria, Benin is the largest city in Edo state. I would like to say thanks once again. Tempers rose. He immediately alerted his mother and the extended family by phone to his discovery. Spiritual music, lyrics, and videos from Benin-City, NG on ReverbNation Society of African Missions - Designed and Developed by, A miraculous spiritual adventure to Benin City. Spiritualism absorbed many of the assumptions of the Magnetist movement but maintained that healings were the result of spirit influence rather than magnetic power. Edited from a report sent by Fr Peter McCawille SMA, Society of African Missions Spiritualism in Benin What is Spiritualism? Leadership - Christ's Chosen Church of God As reported by The Guardian, mathematical patterns were apparent throughout Benin City, from the length and arrangement of the streets to the shape and size of the buildings. Fathers Conlon and Kennedy now live at the SMA House, Wilton, Cork. Blood and divinity are linked concepts in Vodun, and the process of animal sacrifice is seen as a way to nourish both vodun and ancestral spirits, and as a way to share ase through the human consumption of the animal. In an attempt to bring her husband peace, and secure his position as Oba, Queen Iden offered herself to be sacrificed. Not only did Benin City have an incredible network of walls, but the entire city was also built using fractal design. Those for whom materialistic ways of thinking have precluded belief in a life after death have been given a new hope of immortality. Tradition asserts that the Edo people became dissatisfied with the rule of a dynasty of semimythical kings, the ogisos, and in the 13th century they invited Prince Oranmiyan of Ife to rule them. Under these obas Benin became a highly organized state. Vodun has proven itself to be boundlessly adaptable and versatile, enabling it to spread across the world, due in large part to the diasporic effects of the transatlantic slave trade. "White man,' growled a deep baritone voice, before moving on. Josh Liberty | ReverbNation The Voodoo spiritual world consists of Mahou, the supreme being and about 100 divinities - or Voodoos - who represent different phenomena, such as war and blacksmiths (Gou), illness, healing and earth (Sakpata), storms, lightning and justice (Heviosso) or water (Mami Wata). For those who have lost their faith in traditional Christianity, spiritualists have offered a new religion based not on an ancient tradition but on facts that apparently can be observed by anyone. King Ghezo's intricately carved throne rests upon four skulls of rival chiefs while beyond all taste (amid fine Portuguese silks and British cut-glass decanters) is a royal flywhisk assembled from a human cranium attached to a horsetail. In 2020, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will feature a program about the West African nation of Benin and how communities connect to their environment through spirituality and traditional knowledge. A musty odour reeks from dehydrated bits of crocodile snouts, hippos' feet, pigs' penises, whole chameleons, pangolins, and (look away pet-lovers) cat and dog heads. Megan Grabill is a research intern at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and an anthropology and comparative studies major at Oberlin College.