Testimony of Brother Megnanou Bienvenu
Chapter 1: Living environment General environment
To know who MEGNANOU Bienvenu really is, it is not superfluous to make a foray into its geographical, cultural and religious environment. Our author is from Decamé (Decanmé of his real name), in the south of Benin, on the coast, 55 km from Cotonou.
The Benin
The Republic of Benin was, until October 26, 1972, known as the Republic of Dahomey. Its history dates back to Ghezo, king of Dan-Homé (1818-1858) who signed a treaty in 1851 with France.
Despite this treaty, France, after two expeditions in 1890 and 1892-94 with General Dodds, occupies DanHomé and takes King Béhanzin prisoner. He was deported to Algeria where he died in 1906. Dahomey became a colony on 10-3-1893, entered the AOF in 1899 only to become independent in 1960.
This country, located in West Africa, has a border of 190 km with Niger, 270 km with Burkina Faso, 750 km with Nigeria, 620 km with Togo. It borders the Atlantic Ocean over 120 km long. It is in this country that Ouidah is located.
Ouidah
World headquarters of voodoo (real name voodoo), it is there that in February 1993 was celebrated for seven days the international festival of voodoo it is from this region, precisely from this city, that voodoo was spread in America (and all over the world). Decamé is located in the sub-prefecture of Ouidah Decamé Village of the sub-prefecture of Ouidah, world headquarters of Voodoo Decamé is considered the seat of witchcraft among the villages of the district of Ouidah from which it is 22 km away.
The village is located on the edge of a large lagoon 15 km wide and 80 km long. He is also surrounded by a large forest divided into two parts. the second of which is reserved for agriculture, while the first part is reserved for witchcraft practices at late hours. It is the meeting place for all the wizards of the village and even of the region. There are large trees (iroko, baobab, cheese) on which wizards install all their diabolical weapons. When these trees fall due to a strong wind or a rain, we find in their hollow trunk, kitchen utensils, human skulls ...
But wizards also plant trees in the village that they use their end. We find the same objects there after cutting. Indeed, these trees are inhabited by sorcerers. The dead are buried in huts, houses or courtyards Until today, the village has no cemetery. In the courtyards, the hoes are placed on the graves. People sleep on tombs without it bothering them too much. This situation means that the inhabitants of the village are constantly possessed, inhabited by the dead spirit. The village of Decamé is divided into three districts: