West African Vodún

Vodún, Vodu, or vodúnsínsen is an African traditional religion practiced by the Aja, Ewe, and Fon peoples of Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria. There is no central authority in control of the religion and much diversity exists among practitioners, who are known as vodúnsɛntó or vodúnisants.

Vodún teaches the existence of a supreme creator divinity, under whom are lesser spirits called vodúns. Many of these deities are associated with specific areas, but others are venerated widely throughout West Africa; some have been absorbed from other religions, including Christianity and Hinduism. The vodún are believed to physically manifest in shrines and they are provided with offerings, typically including animal sacrifice. There are several all-male secret societies, including Oró and Egúngún, into which individuals receive initiation. Various forms of divination are used to gain information from the vodún, the most prominent of which is Fá, itself governed by a society of initiates.

The veneration of vodún spirits occurred in West Africa prior to the era of historical documentation. In the 18th century, Dahomey became a vassal state of the Oyo Empire, facilitating the westward transference of many Yoruba religious traditions to Fon and Ewe populations. This has resulted in considerable overlap and similarity with Yoruba religion. Amid the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to the 19th century, vodúnsɛntó were among the enslaved Africans transported to the Americas. There, their traditional religions influenced the development of new religions such as Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, and Brazilian Candomblé Jejé. Attempted suppression of Vodún came with the Christianisation projects of the 19th century and Benin's Marxist government of the mid-20th century. Since the 1990s, there have been growing efforts to encourage foreign tourists to visit West Africa and receive initiation into Vodún.

Many vodúnsɛntó practice their traditional religion alongside Christianity, for instance by interpreting Jesus Christ as a vodún. Although primarily found in West Africa, since the late 20th century the religion has also spread abroad and is practised by people of varied ethnicities and nationalities.