Death and male-mort in Benin voodoo: perception and management of this fatal death

Abstract

This violent, accidental, brutal death brings about a chain reaction of religious ceremonies. In the voodoo religion, these ritual ceremonies are much more advanced than during a so-called "natural" death, in order to purify the body and / or soothe the soul. The objective of this article is to study how a voodoo Beninese perceives, interprets and manages this type of death through consultations of the oracle Fâ, sacrifices and offerings to the vòdũn (deities), see, according to certain cases, to awaken the dead. This study follows a field survey of populations, accompanied by bibliographic research.