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This past weekend, the streets of Porto NovoBenin’s vibrant capital came alive with the inauguration Porto Novo Mask Festival, A colorful celebration of traditional masks and costumes. Designed to showcase Benin’s rich cultural heritage, the festival successfully attracted crowds from Benin and neighboring countries such as Togo and Burkina Faso instead of the usual Porto Novo International Festival held in January.

The three-day event featured a grand procession along the city’s main thoroughfare, where participants displayed an array of masks, some of which had never been seen outside their local regions. Among the notable exhibits were figures dressed as Egungan, a character from Yoruba mythology adorned in elaborate costumes and masks, symbolizing ancestral spirits.

The festival was not just a visual feast; The air was filled with the sounds of traditional music, and the crowd was treated to impressive acrobatics and stilt-walkers, standing on eight-metre poles. Government and municipal leaders launched this new cultural initiative to promote tourism and provide a platform to celebrate the secular and religious aspects of Beninese traditions.

Voodoo, or Vodun as it is known locally, plays a significant role in Benin’s cultural identity. The festival offers a unique insight into this spiritual practice, which involves the worship of deities and nature spirits with deep respect for revered ancestors. This integration of the spiritual and the cultural provides a holistic view of the local heritage, making the Porto Novo Mask Festival a must-see event that promises to grow in size and importance in the coming years.