Voodoo markets in West Africa

Where do these animals come from?

While many of the species may have been hunted locally in Benin and Togo, several of the species – including the apes – are not found in these countries. This points to an illegal trade in species which stretches across Africa, including countries where Vodou is not practiced. Although the fetish, traditional medicine and bushmeat trades are separate issues, in some cases the same animals may be used. So for example, while sea turtle meat is eaten, its shell may then be sold on to a fetish market. Likewise with chimpanzees; while they are sold as bushmeat in their native country of Cameroon, their hands and heads are used by Vodou practitioners in Togo.

It could be argued that by simply “window shopping” in the fetish markets, tourists are not financially supporting or condoning the illegal trade. These are local markets for local people, and they exist regardless of tourism; a tourist boycott would have no impact on their existence. At the same time, as responsible travelers, it is very hard to justify visiting a place which promotes the poaching of and trade in threatened species. And while tourists are unlikely to buy a baboon head, they are lured here with the promise of seeing these more grisly items, and may end up spending money on benign herbs or carvings. It has therefore been suggested that traders may be keen to display these more shocking artefacts in order to encourage visitors to come, and then purchase other trinkets.

Additionally, entrepreneurial local residents have started charging visitors for tours of Lomé’s marché des fétiches, with extra fees for photos, which of course may include some of the more grisly items. Witch doctors – guérisseurs – are on hand to perform “white magic” on curious Western tourists, using bags of herbs, wooden sticks and so on.

At Responsible Travel, we understand that cultural traditions often stand in opposition to conservation, such as indigenous communities who hunt whales or polar bears, or traditional medicine practices in the Far East, for example. Fetishes are such an intrinsic part of what it means to be a follower of Vodou, so it is difficult to see how the religion could exist without this practice. However, although the governments of Benin and Togo seem to have turned a blind eye to the Vodou trade, they are party to the CITES Convention, which means that these markets are illegal. Tourists need to be aware of all these issues before visiting fetish markets and Vodou practitioners, and to consider if their actions are supporting damaging – as well as illegal – practices. You may not be coming home with a gorilla hand in your suitcase, but perhaps that photo of it is making just as great a contribution to the poaching of these apes.

*Source: Essay by Leslie Desmangles, a Haitian professor, in The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal, 1996

**Source: Ilse Truter in the South Africa Pharmaceutical Journal, 2007