Ouidah is the town in Benin where the history of vodun, the history of the Atlantic slave trade and the history of returns meet: former port of the Hueda kingdom, fortified trading post of the Europeans, home of the cult of Dangbé, it now hosts the official ceremonies of the vodun festival and the Vodun Days. Beninese voodoo has one of its best-known faces there, without being reduced to it.
At the temple of Sakété, what Ouidah means to me
Direct observationWêtê Agbonon, vodun priest and bokonon of the Fâ, at the temple of Sakété
When I think of Ouidah, I think first of a memory, far beyond a tourist town where people come to see temples, ceremonies or pythons. The town holds a special place in the history of vodun in Benin. It has major religious sites, families who carry ancient traditions, sacred spaces, and a historical memory that reaches far beyond its borders[1].
But Ouidah represents one part of vodun, and vodun reaches well beyond Ouidah. There are vodun traditions in Abomey, in Sakété, in Porto-Novo, in the other regions of Benin and beyond. Each town and each family can have its own stories, divinities, transmissions and ways of practising. I am deeply attached to the tradition of Sakété, where my own path as a vodun priest and bokonon comes from; I can look at Ouidah with respect, without making it the single model of every tradition in Benin.
Key points
- Ouidah is one of the great places of memory of vodun and of the Atlantic slave trade.
- Vodun reaches beyond Ouidah: each town and each family has its divinities and transmissions.
- Behind what the visitor sees, families and lineages carry on their own life.
Vodun is also what is passed on, respected and kept[1].
Glexwe, the town of the Hueda
Its inhabitants call it Glexwe. Europeans named it Whydah, Juda, Fida or Ajudá depending on their language[2]. Before becoming a port, Ouidah was land of the Hueda kingdom, whose capital was at Savi, inland; tradition makes it the former farm of the king of Savi[3].
In 1727, King Agaja of Dahomey conquered the Hueda kingdom. Ouidah then became Abomey’s port on the ocean, until the French colonial conquest at the end of the nineteenth century. The historian Robin Law devoted a landmark study to this period, which shows Ouidah as one of the main ports of the Atlantic slave trade in West Africa[4]. The commune covers 364 square kilometres; it had 76,555 inhabitants in the 2002 census[2].
The slave-trade forts
Three European powers built forts in Ouidah: the English with William’s Fort, the French with Fort Saint-Louis, and the Portuguese with the fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá, completed in 1721, the last of the three. These were no stone citadels: squares about a hundred metres across, built of dried earth by African workers using local techniques, standing three to five hundred metres apart. Each year their directors had to travel to Abomey to greet the king at the great annual ceremonies[5][4].
The Portuguese fort had a singular fate: it remained a Portuguese enclave until 1961, when Dahomey took it back by force. It now houses the Ouidah History Museum, devoted to the slave trade and to the links with Brazil[6].
The Slave Route
From the town centre to the beach, a route of about four kilometres retraces the captives’ path before embarkation. It passes the Chacha square, where transactions took place, the Tree of Forgetting, the Zomaï square and the Zoungbodji memorial, and ends facing the ocean at the Door of No Return[3][7]. This monument was erected in 1995, as part of UNESCO’s Slave Route project, launched in 1994[7]. Ouidah is also a town of returns: after the abolition of the slave trade, thousands of Afro-Brazilians, descendants of former captives returned from the Americas, settled here with their names, their houses and their memory[3].
The town of vodun
The cult of Dangbé, the royal python, has its shrine in the heart of the town, at the Temple of Pythons, opposite the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception; according to the government, three families venerate him there, the Agbo Atakpaloko, the Zossoungbo and the Adjovi[8]. East of the town, the sacred forest of Kpassè (in French) bears the name of the founder of the kingdom of Ouidah.
In February 1993, Ouidah hosted Ouidah 92, the first international festival of vodun arts and cultures, which reconnected with the diaspora of the Americas[9]. Since 2024, the town has hosted the Vodun Days around the vodun festival: more than 740,000 participants in January 2026 according to the government, and a fourth edition from 2 to 9 January 2027[10][11].
| Place | What it is | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Temple of Pythons | The shrine of Dangbé, kept by three families of the town | Opposite the basilica |
| Sacred forest of Kpassè | The forest of the kingdom’s founder | Tovè district |
| Ouidah History Museum | Housed in the Portuguese fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá | Fort completed in 1721, Portuguese until 1961 |
| Slave Route | The captives’ path, from the Chacha square to the beach | About four kilometres |
| Door of No Return | The memorial facing the ocean | Erected in 1995 |
| Basilica of the Immaculate Conception | The Catholic church built opposite the Temple of Pythons | Built in 1909 |
What the visitor sees, and what they do not
Today there is a tendency to present Ouidah as if all of Beninese vodun could be summed up by what a visitor discovers there. That is inaccurate. Ouidah is a major town in the history and memory of vodun, and it has become an important place for presenting vodun heritage to the public. But behind what the visitor sees, there are families, lineages and transmissions that carry on their own life. For me, the real interest of Ouidah is to show that a tradition can cross the centuries, meet history and the outside world, and keep living while keeping part of what it holds[1].
What we know, and how we know it
What comes from oral tradition
The origin of the name Glexwe, the former farm of the king of Savi, and the stories linked to Kpassè come from the oral tradition of Ouidah[3].
What comes from direct observation
The view of Ouidah as a memory, and the warning against the idea that it sums up all of vodun, come from my practice[1].
What is documented
The 1727 conquest, the three forts, the Portuguese enclave until 1961, the 1995 Door of No Return and the attendance of the Vodun Days are established by historians, encyclopedias and official sources[4][5][6][7][10].
What is interpretation
Seeing Ouidah as proof that a tradition can open up to the world without exposing everything is a reading I defend[1].
What is still debated
The exact number of captives embarked at Ouidah, and the place of tourism in the town’s religious life, are debated[4].
Common misconceptions about Ouidah
- “Ouidah is all of vodun.” Abomey, Sakété, Porto-Novo and many other towns have their own traditions[1].
- “Ouidah was founded by the Portuguese in 1721.” 1721 is the date of the Portuguese fort; the Hueda town existed before it[5][3].
- “The Door of No Return dates from the slave trade.” It is a memorial erected in 1995[7].
- “The forts were great stone fortresses.” They were built of dried earth, by African workers[5].
Frequently asked questions
Why is Ouidah called the voodoo town?
Because it is home to the Temple of Pythons, the sacred forest of Kpassè and many vodun houses, and it hosts the official ceremonies of the vodun festival and the Vodun Days.
Where is Ouidah?
On the Atlantic coast of Benin, west of Cotonou, in the Atlantique department.
What is Ouidah called in the local language?
Glexwe. Europeans called it Whydah, Juda, Fida or Ajudá.
What is the Slave Route in Ouidah?
A route of about four kilometres, from the Chacha square to the Door of No Return, retracing the captives’ path before embarkation.
When was the Door of No Return built?
In 1995, as part of UNESCO’s Slave Route project, launched in 1994.
When are the Vodun Days in Ouidah?
In January, around the vodun festival. The 2027 edition is announced from 2 to 9 January.
Can you attend vodun ceremonies in Ouidah?
Yes for public ceremonies, following the instructions of those responsible; part of religious life remains reserved for families and initiates.
Glossary
- Afro-Brazilians: descendants of former captives returned from the Americas, who settled in Ouidah after the abolition of the slave trade.
- Glexwe: the local name of Ouidah.
- Hueda: the people and kingdom of the Ouidah region, conquered by Dahomey in 1727.
- Savi: the former capital of the Hueda kingdom.
Notes and references
[1] Direct observation and oral transmission, Wêtê Agbonon, bokonon, temple of Sakété.
[2] Wikipedia, « Ouidah », for the names of the town, its area and its 2002 population. See
[3] Africa Tours & Safari, « Ouidah, comptoir notable de la traite négrière du XVIe au XIXe siècle ». See
[4] LAW Robin, Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port, 1727-1892, Athens (Ohio), Ohio University Press, 2004.
[5] Wikipedia, « Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá », after Robin Law’s work on the forts of Ouidah. See
[6] Encyclopædia Britannica, « São João Baptista de Ajudá ». See
[7] Voyage Bénin, « La Route des esclaves ». See
[8] Government of Benin, « Destination Bénin : Ouidah, la terre hxuéda, ville à vocation historique, culturelle, cultuelle et touristique », 2020. See
[9] RUSH Dana, « Contemporary Vodun Arts of Ouidah, Benin », African Arts, vol. 34, no. 4, 2001, DOI 10.2307/3337805.
[10] Daabaaru, « Vodun Days 2026 à Ouidah : une édition historique avec plus de 740 000 participants », 25 January 2026, citing the government. See
[11] Vodun Days, official website, 2027 edition. See
Sources
- LAW Robin, Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port, 1727-1892, 2004.
- RUSH Dana, « Contemporary Vodun Arts of Ouidah, Benin », African Arts, 2001.
- Direct observation and oral transmission, temple of Sakété, 1994–2026
Cite this entry
Wêtê Agbonon, « Ouidah », dans Vodun Bénin, l’encyclopédie du vodun béninois, entry no. 017, updated on 28 October 2026. Online: https://vodunbenin.org/en/ouidah/ (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