The Fâ is the great divination system of southern Benin. The bokonon, its priest, brings out signs and interprets them to shed light on a situation before acting: he gives a direction, and the decision remains with the person who consults. Related to the Yoruba Ifá, it counts 256 signs.
At the temple of Sakété, the Fâ as I practise it
Direct observationWêtê Agbonon, vodun priest and bokonon of the Fâ, at the temple of Sakété
When I am asked how I became a bokonon, I always answer that this path is not chosen the way one chooses a job. The Fâ is a knowledge that is received, learned, and takes time: family transmission, teaching from those who already know the tradition, learning the signs, the words and their interpretation. But there is also everything that cannot be learned in a book. I can speak about my path and what it means to be a bokonon; I do not publish the teachings that belong to initiation or to the transmission of my house[1].
I came to the Fâ through tradition and transmission. Being a bokonon, for me, means far more than knowing how to cast or read the signs: one must learn to listen, to observe, to keep silent when necessary, and above all not to tell just anything to a person who comes looking for an answer. Over the years, one also understands that a sign is never read like a ready-made sentence: the same sign can speak of different things depending on the person, the moment, the question asked and what the consultation shows.
A person comes with a concern. I listen first: I try to understand why they come, and what they really expect from the consultation. Then comes the work of the Fâ. I do not describe here the gestures or words that belong to the practice; what can be explained publicly is that the Fâ brings out signs that the bokonon interprets, relying on transmitted knowledge. The aim is not to put on a show. A consultation may confirm what the person already felt, show something they had not thought of, or simply indicate that one must wait, observe, or not act right away[1].
Key points
- The Fâ is a system of signs interpreted by a priest, the bokonon, consulted before important decisions.
- It counts sixteen major signs, whose combinations give 256 signs, each linked to a vast oral corpus.
- It gives a direction, never a guarantee: the person remains responsible for their choices.
Knowing the names of the signs is not knowing the Fâ, just as knowing the alphabet is not knowing a language[1].
What is the Fâ?
The Fâ belongs to a large family of divination systems of the Gulf of Benin: the Fon say Fá, the Yoruba of the Ife region say Ifá, the Mina of Togo say Afa. For the Beninese professor Mahougnon Kakpo, a specialist of the Fâ, it is of Yoruba origin, and it is the master of all the vodun: without being a vodun itself, it traces their destiny, and all come to bow before it[2]. Its Yoruba sister, Ifá divination, has been inscribed by UNESCO since 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, for Nigeria. UNESCO stresses an essential point: this divination rests on a system of signs interpreted by a priest, rather than on the oracular powers of a person, and it is used whenever an important individual or collective decision must be made[3].
Two explanations of the word circulate. For Kakpo, Ifá rests on a Yoruba root, fa, said to mean “Love”. According to the researcher Carlos Cardoso Guerra, Fon bokonon hear in it instead the Fon word for coolness: the Fâ would be the opposite of fire and sun, hence its name[2][4].
From Ile-Ife to Abomey
The system came from Yoruba country. According to Kakpo, the Fâ was introduced into the kingdom of Dahomey in 1715, at the very beginning of King Agaja’s reign, by a babalawo, a priest of Ifá from Ile-Ife[2]. It then spread throughout southern Benin, where it is consulted on every occasion of life. As Hounwanou wrote in his treatise on the practice of the Fâ in 1984, nothing is done lightly without first consulting the Fâ. Many people have their own Fâ, kept in a calabash, which the family’s bokonon consults at least once a year[5].
How the Fâ is read
The bokonon has two main instruments. The first is a divination chain made of eight half-shells linked together: by casting it on the ground, the bokonon obtains one of the 256 possible figures. The second is a set of sixteen sacred palm nuts, thrown and caught according to a precise method. The signs obtained are traced on a wooden board, the fatè, covered with a fine plant powder[4][6].
A sign consists of two parallel columns of four marks; each mark is a single or a double stroke. There are sixteen cardinal signs, the Mɛnji, or “double” signs, and their combinations form 240 derived signs: 256 signs in all[4]. Each sign opens onto a vast oral corpus. Kakpo distinguishes three languages, which follow one another in the interpretation: the Fagbesisa, an incantatory word in the form of a maxim; the Fagleta, a story, myth, tale or legend; and the Fahan, a song[2]. For Ifá divination, UNESCO estimates at about 800 the number of verses attached to each of the 256 parts of the corpus, a number that keeps growing[3].
The sixteen major signs
The names of the major signs are now available in many works on the Fâ and Ifá. Their publication does not make all their knowledge public. I give the names of the sixteen signs here, because hiding them entirely would prevent understanding the general structure of the Fâ; this entry publishes neither the sacred words, nor the full stories, nor the prescriptions, nor the initiatory teachings associated with each sign[1].
| No. | Sign | Other spellings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gbé | Ogbé, Gbe |
| 2 | Yɛku | Yêkou, Yeku |
| 3 | Woli | Woli |
| 4 | Di | Di |
| 5 | Losso | Loso |
| 6 | Wlin | Winlin, Wêle |
| 7 | Abla | Abla |
| 8 | Aklán | Aklan, Aklâ |
| 9 | Guda | Guda |
| 10 | Sa | Sa |
| 11 | Ka | Ka |
| 12 | Trukpin | Turukpê |
| 13 | Tula | Tula |
| 14 | Lɛtɛ | Lètè, Lete |
| 15 | Cɛ | Tchè, Ce |
| 16 | Fu | Fu |
Transcriptions vary between languages, schools and works; I prefer to keep the forms used in the tradition concerned. The signs go in pairs, a male sign followed by a female sign: Gbé, the first, is considered the father of the others, and Fu, the last, their mother[7][4].
What do the signs of the Fâ say?
The signs of the Fâ give far more than a “yes” or “no”. They allow a situation to be seen from several angles: the person, their relationships, their difficulties, their possibilities, what may be favourable or unfavourable, and how they may behave in the face of a situation. But I make an important distinction: a sign is never a sentence passed on a life. I do not tell anyone: “Your sign says your whole life will be like this.” The sign gives a direction and opens a reading of the situation, which must then be understood in its concrete implications[1]. According to Kakpo, each individual also has their own personal sign, which the Fâ makes it possible to determine[2].
What the Fâ leaves to you
I insist on this point, because there is much confusion today. For me, the Fâ is neither a machine for predicting the future, nor a clairvoyance where someone claims to know everything about your life just by looking at you. Above all, it makes no promise. I do not tell anyone: “In three days you will receive money,” or: “Do exactly this and I guarantee your problem will be solved.” Such guarantees are not my way of working. The Fâ gives a direction; it can show difficulties, possibilities, precautions or actions to consider. But the human being remains responsible for their choices[1].
Researchers say so too. For Kakpo, the bokonon neither guesses nor predicts anything: he interprets the sign that appears, then prescribes the ceremonies attached to it, like a doctor after a consultation[2]. And UNESCO recalls that Ifá divination rests on the interpretation of signs, rather than on the powers of a medium[3].
Why consult the Fâ before acting
That is why I consult the Fâ before deciding on any spiritual action. I do not want to start with a rite simply because someone came to tell me they think they have a problem; I want first to understand the problem. Is it really a situation that calls for intervention? A family matter? A personal difficulty? A worry? A situation that simply needs time? The Fâ can help guide this search. Acting without examining the situation is sometimes like giving medicine without knowing what the patient has. And I would much rather tell someone, “There is no need to do that,” than make them do something just because they came to see me[1].
The Fâ and the vodun
In the view reported by Kakpo, each vodun has its destiny traced by the Fâ, and the Fâ tells their history through its stories. The signs are also linked to the vodun, and first to Legba, their messenger: he is called upon to carry the offerings and make the prescribed ceremonies effective[2]. See Legba. Several entries of this encyclopedia report stories of the Fâ, such as that of the six children of God, among whom fire went to Xɛvioso; see Hèviosso.
The bokonon and the charlatans
The reputation of the Fâ suffers from an old drift. As early as 1984, Hounwanou deplored that, without a hierarchical and supervised college of priests, the Fâ was practised by a crowd of charlatans who saw it as an easy way to get rich[5]. The art historian Gérard Bassalé recalls that initiation into the Fâ takes several years of study and practice[7]. For me, the answer lies in the way of working. I do not want anyone to become dependent on my consultations; I want them to understand what they came looking for. A serious bokonon listens, interprets, advises, and refuses to promise what no one can guarantee[1].
The Fâ today
The Fâ remains alive, and it adapts. The Smithsonian, in Washington, notes that bokonon now sell palm nuts and boards online, and even consult by messaging apps[6]. Beninese researchers also make it better known: in 2021, Mahougnon Kakpo published Le Fá expliqué aux profanes, a book for the general public[8]. UNESCO nevertheless points to a fragility on the Yoruba side: young people are turning away from the practice, and intolerance towards traditional divination systems is growing[3].
The Fâ is not there to frighten people, nor to take away their freedom. When I consult, my role is to give the person a reading of their situation, so that they can understand and decide with full knowledge. That is why, after more than thirty years in this tradition, I still regard the Fâ with great respect: one can learn the names of the signs in a book, but understanding what they mean for a given person, at a given moment of their life, takes much more than memory. It takes transmission, experience, listening, and above all responsibility[1].
What researchers say
Administrators, bokonon, Beninese researchers and international institutions have studied the Fâ. The main works, in chronological order:
- 1943The administrator Bernard Maupoil publishes La géomancie à l’ancienne Côte des Esclaves, the reference study on the Fâ[9].
- 1984R. T. Hounwanou publishes Le Fa, on its practice and technique[5].
- 2008UNESCO inscribes Ifá divination, the Yoruba sister of the Fâ, on the Representative List[3].
- 2013Mahougnon Kakpo shows how its sacred texts tell the history of the vodun[2].
- 2016Carlos Cardoso Guerra presents the system of the signs of the Fâ among the Fon[4].
- 2021Mahougnon Kakpo publishes Le Fá expliqué aux profanes[8].
What we know, and how we know it
What comes from oral tradition
The words, stories and songs attached to each sign are passed on among bokonon, and remain reserved[1][2].
What comes from direct observation
How a consultation unfolds, the reading of a sign in a situation and the refusal of guarantees come from my practice[1].
What is documented
The 256 signs, the instruments, the arrival of the Fâ in Dahomey and the UNESCO inscription of Ifá are established by researchers and official sources[4][2][3].
Common misconceptions about the Fâ
- “The Fâ predicts the future.” It gives a reading of a situation; the bokonon interprets and does not predict[2].
- “There are sixteen signs.” There are sixteen major signs, whose combinations give 256[4].
- “Knowing your sign’s name is enough.” The name of a sign says nothing of its meaning for a person[1].
- “A good bokonon guarantees results.” A guarantee of results is a sign of charlatanism[1][5].
Frequently asked questions
What is the Fâ?
The great divination system of southern Benin: the bokonon brings out signs and interprets them to shed light on a situation before acting.
What is the difference between Fâ and Ifá?
They are related systems: the Fâ of the Fon came from the Yoruba Ifá, introduced into Dahomey in the early eighteenth century.
How many signs does the Fâ have?
Sixteen major signs, whose combinations give 256 signs, each linked to a vast oral corpus.
Does the Fâ predict the future?
It gives a reading of a situation and a direction; the person remains responsible for their choices.
Who is the bokonon?
The priest of the Fâ, who brings out the signs and interprets them, after years of study and transmission.
How is a sign obtained?
With a divination chain of eight half-shells, or with sixteen sacred palm nuts, and the signs are traced on a wooden board.
Glossary
- Babalawo: a priest of Ifá, among the Yoruba.
- Bokonon: the priest of the Fâ.
- Fatè: the wooden board on which the signs are traced.
- Mɛnji: the sixteen cardinal, or “double”, signs.
Notes and references
[1] Direct observation and oral transmission, Wêtê Agbonon, bokonon, temple of Sakété.
[2] KAKPO Mahougnon, « Vodun Sakpata et épidémie de variole dans la littérature orale sacrée du golfe du Bénin », Ponti/Ponts, no. 13, 2013.
[3] UNESCO, « Ifa divination system », Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, inscribed 2008 (proclaimed 2005), Nigeria. See
[4] CARDOSO GUERRA Carlos, « El Fá de los Fon de Benin », Boletín Millares Carlo, no. 32, 2016, p. 1-13.
[5] HOUNWANOU R. T., Le Fa. Une géomancie divinatoire du golfe du Bénin (pratique et technique), Paris, Nouvelles Éditions africaines, 1984.
[6] Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, « An Introduction to Fa Divination of Benin ». See
[7] BASSALÉ Gérard Ogouyèmi, Enjeux des places vodùn dans l’évolution architecturale de la ville de Porto-Novo, master’s thesis in art history, University of Abomey-Calavi, 2015.
[8] KAKPO Mahougnon, Le Fá expliqué aux profanes, Cotonou, Éditions des Diasporas, 2021.
[9] MAUPOIL Bernard, La géomancie à l’ancienne Côte des Esclaves, Paris, Institut d’ethnologie, 1943.
Sources
- MAUPOIL Bernard, La géomancie à l’ancienne Côte des Esclaves, 1943.
- KAKPO Mahougnon, Le Fá expliqué aux profanes, 2021.
- UNESCO, « Ifa divination system », 2008.
- Direct observation and oral transmission, temple of Sakété, 1994–2026
Cite this entry
Wêtê Agbonon, « What is the Fâ? », dans Vodun Bénin, l’encyclopédie du vodun béninois, entry no. 005, updated on 28 October 2026. Online: https://vodunbenin.org/en/what-is-the-fa/ (accessed on 1 November 2026). Licence CC BY 4.0.
- Last checked : 7 October 2026
- Reuse : free, with attribution, under the licence CC BY 4.0
- A mistake? Report it · Method and corrections