Stage 7, 7 and 8 January
Ouidah
Facing the ocean, facing memory
Facing the ocean, facing memory.
Why this stage matters in the search for our roots
In Ouidah, we do not discover who our ancestors were. We discover what happened to them.
Ouidah is the place of rupture, memory and continuity. What we understand here makes sense because the journey first showed who those who left were.
07/07Stage shown on the map
What we will discover
The Route of the Ancestors
Places of memory of the slave trade and the Door of No Return
Ouidah, museum city
The Vodun Days village and the concerts by the sea
The Arts market
The Kalọ̀ sí ilé® experience
I face the great memory of the diaspora
We walk the Route of the Ancestors down to the sea. The silence there says a lot.
Then the city opens up to the Vodun Days: what survived is lived, danced and shared.
Highlight
The Vodun Days, on 7 and 8 January 2027: “They left. Their story went on. We have come back.”
What the traveller takes home
A story to pass on, connected from Porto-Novo to the sea.
Ouidah is not necessarily an end. It is a starting point for a new relationship with one’s history.
I come home with a story to pass on
On 9 January, return to Cotonou according to flights, with a possible stop at the Arts market to extend the experience.
What if the return began here?