Incisions faites sur la peau et ayant plusieurs finalités, dont une est de remplir la fonction de protection contre les maladies. Ce sont également des éléments marqueurs d’identité. En effet, les scarifications servent « d’expressions à l’appartenance ethnique » (Visiter le Bénin). En fonction des formes qu’elles présentent, les cicatrices permettent d’identifier l’appartenance d’une personne à un groupe socio-culturel. « Cela permet pour les personnes de même ethnie de se reconnaitre facilement. Cette reconnaissance sert positivement les relations interpersonnelles » (Visiter le Bénin), tout comme l’habillement, la danse, et la langue. Elles ont aussi un lien avec la pratique Vodun. Dans le contexte béninois, la présence ou non de certaines scarifications chez les fidèles d’une divinité Vodun permettent de démontrer s’ils sont initiés ou pas.
Incisions made in the skin for a wide variety of purposes, such as protection against diseases. They also mark the identity of the person who wears them. In fact, scarification serves as an “expression of ethnicity” (Visiter le Bénin n.d.). Depending on the shape they take, scars can be used to identify a person’s belonging to a socio-cultural group. “This allows people of the same ethnic group to recognize each other easily. This recognition has a positive impact on interpersonal relations” (Visiter le Bénin n.d.), in much the same way as clothing, dance, and language. They are also linked to Vodun practices. In the Beninese context, the presence or absence of scarification marks on devotees of a Vodun divinity can be used to demonstrate whether or not they have been initiated.
Visiter le Bénin. “La scarification au nord du Bénin.”, n.d., https://visiter-le-benin.com/la-scarification-au-nord-du-benin/ (consulté le 16 août, 2024).
A person whose role is to be a historian, storyteller, poet and musician. They ensure the transmission of culture and oral history by preserving the m...
Originellement issu du Fɔ̀ngbè, le terme désigne un autel portatif fait de métal principalement, et réalisé pour commémorer un-e défunt-e qui, de son ...
Bracelet whose name means “metal of the Tchamba,” the tchambaga symbolizes the iron shackles of enslaved people and is used to contact ancestors, as w...
Protective amulet common in Togo and other parts of West Africa in various forms. The term gris-gris is apparently more widespread for protective amul...
Tea prepared on the ground in a teapot and served in cups. This way of making tea has its roots in the Arab world.
Traditional Senegalese dish with fish, rice, and vegetables. In 2021, the dish was classed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.
Porridge made with 'Sunguf' cereal flour, such as millet. The term Sunguf is also used to refer to any kind of flour.
Animist people from the Kédougou region (South-East Senegal). Their religion is subject to stereotypes, as is the case for other religions, such as Vo...
Square cap worn by men and women alike. This word, of North African origin, is rejected by certain Senegalese socio-cultural groups, who use Mbakhana*...
Conical straw hat often used by Fulani people when accompanying their herds.