DISCOVERING WEST AFRICAN TRIBAL CULTURES
Safari through Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso
March 16 - March 30 2009
with TBA
West Africa is vibrant with heritage, culture, tradition and ceremonies. On this 15-day trip we’ll explore the countries of Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso where we’ll learn about the religion of voodoo and attend a genuine voodoo ceremony where the participants will go into trance. Our travels will take us to remote areas where life has changed little over the centuries. We’ll see how these societies are responding to the pressure of encroaching “civilization” and witness ceremonies and dancing masks in celebration.
Our Itinerary
Monday, 16 March 2009
LOME
We arrive from Europe in Lome, the capital of Togo, which stretches along the
coast for about 8 miles between the Ghana border and the new Port de Lome. Togo,
independent since 1960, is a former French colony. Lome is a pleasant city, where
you can walk freely between low houses, through bustling crowds of market traders
and goods carriers and stop at the stalls or at the artisan's workshops to watch
them craft iron and wood. A visit to the different levels of the central Grand
Marche is often characterised by the lively discussions you are bound to have
with the Togolese 'Nanas' or female market traders. In the evenings, cooled by
a pleasant breeze, you can take a stroll along the seaside road accompanied by
the wind rustling through the palm trees. aHotel Sarakawa
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
LAC
Today we'll enjoy a tour of Lome, including a visit to some colorful and vibrant local markets. We'll also have the opportunity to witness an authentic voodoo ceremony. Voodoo, a religion that pre-dates Christianity, originally began in the south of Togo and Benin and it is still firmly embedded in the local culture; exemplified by the ubiquitous presence of temples, altars and fetishes. In the village, whenever there is a special occasion, often more than a hundred people gather to offer collective praises and sacrifices followed by dances, chanting and drumming which becomes more and more frenzied until some participants fall into a deep trance. On a physical level they are in fact in a catatonic state, with very strong muscular tension and insensitivity to pain. During their trances, in this very unique state of altered consciousness, the participants come into direct communion with the spirits. Hotel Le Lac
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
GRAND POPO
Today we'll cross the border into Benin where we'll search for the Zangbeto masks. We'll take a boat excursion to a remote village where, if we're lucky, we'll find this amazing spectacle where masks whirl according to an otherworldly source of motion. Local Auberge
Thursday, 19 March 2009
BOHICON
We begin our journey northward away from the coast where we travel by pirogue to the lake village of Ganvié, a large village of huts resting on bamboo stilts perched above the water level. The village is spread out; with houses scattered about seemingly at random several metres apart. We'll admire the ingenuity of the unique construction and get a fell for the nuances of village life. The fishermen are welcoming and like to show off their fishing skills and the ovens where they smoke their fish. Later today we'll search for another mask ceremony, the Gelede. These masks depict spiritual as well as every-day events and often are cause for much laughter among the large audiences that gather at their spontaneous appearance. Hotel Dako
Friday - Saturday, 20 - 21 March 2009
NATITINGOU
We'll have a long travel day eventually following the mountain range of the Atakora, to eventually find ourselves in Somba country, the home of several separate but related tribes. The thing they have in common is the 'tata'- their dwellings built in the shape of small clay castles several storeys high. The definition of a man in Somba country is a male who has followed a long route of initiation rites and who owns his own traditional 'tata'. The hills of the region are dotted by these clay and thatch buildings that so enchanted the great Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Centuries ago the peoples of these villages chose to take refuge in this inaccessible area as they wanted no outside influences to interfere with their way of life. The villagers still hunt with bows and arrows and adhere to strict rites of initiation. The beautiful scarification on their faces and their bellies clearly shows the price that these people pay in order to reach adulthood. In order to experience the area thoroughly, we'll base ourselves for two days at a hotel that has been creatively constructed to mimic the local architecture. Hotel Tata Somba
Sunday, 22 March 2009
DAPAONG
We continue our explorations while making our way through remote villages toward the Burkina border. We may see some demonstrations by the Somba men wherein they play games with whips to demonstrate their strength. We'll note how the decorations on the houses often match the scarification on their bodies and we may have an opportunity to purchase exquisite clay utensils fired in the raku fashion. Overnight Camping
Monday, 23 March 2009
OUAGADOUGOU
Today we cross the Border into Burkino Faso. Our destination is Ouagadougou where we'll spend some time learning about this new country and exploring the city. Burkina is a country of small villages with traditional white buildings composed of straw and clay mixed with water. Here and there one sees clay mosques and churches decorated with local religious symbols and colorful peasants and marketplaces. Each ethnic group has different architectural styles which, in both line and color, adapt well to the countryside. OK Inn
Tuesday - Wednesday, 24 - 25 March 2009
BOBO
We head west to the Bobo and the village of Bobo Dioulasso, the second largest village of the country, showing a touch of France in Africa. Here we'll base ourselves for two nights so we can explore the area fully. In certain seasons there are large festivals throughout the region where young and old, women and children all unite to dance, drink millet beer, and talk about the masked ones who come dancing and jumping accompanied by the sound of tom-toms and flutes. The polychrome masks represent animals, buffalos, antelopes, monkeys, and birds. There is also a large flat mask of a butterfly that is at least two meters in length. All of the masks embody spirits of which fertility and health are asked, and to which thanks are given after the harvest.
Local Auberge
Thursday, 26 March 2009
BANFORA
We drop southward so that we can visit Banfora and the surrounding area. Hotel Canne a Sucre
Friday, 27 March 2009
GAOUA
Today we visit the Lobi, a people who have preserved and maintain their animist beliefs. In front of their fortified homes one can see protective fetishes to which the Lobi offer drinks and sacrifices of chickens and goats. Their famous "bouthida", small amulet-statues, are placed in the interior rooms to protect the soul of each Lobi, both living and deceased. The beliefs of their ancestors give form to the basis of their current culture and everyday life. Hotel Hala
Saturday, 28 March 2009
OUAGADOUGOU
We make our way back to Ouagadougou. The Mossi, a war-like people who built a great empire between the 15th and 19th centuries and didn't lose their autonomy until the arrival of the French, inhabit the central plain surrounding the capital city of Ouagadougou. Their descendants, fierce but peaceful people, live in round clay houses and grow sorghum, millet, and peanuts which they store in granaries made from braided straw. OK Inn
Sunday, 29 March 2009
OUAGADOUGOU
Today we venture out for one last masked celebration, that of the Nunuma Mask festival. OK Inn
Monday, 30 March 2009
OUAGADOUGOU - HOME
Today we'll depart early to see the famous painted houses of the Gurunsi people of the Kassena tribe. These fortified houses of the Tiebele region on the border of Ghana and Burkina Faso are beautifully decorated with traditional African designs. The women paint their mud huts with natural colors of red, black, white and ochre. This local architecture was another inspiration for the Swiss architect Le Corbusier who travelled the region finding inspiration in the simple, functional and beautiful work of these people. We return to the hotel to freshen up and prepare for our flight home through Europe.
(Per Person Double Occupancy)
Retail Price: $5,995 per person
Photographer’s Price: $4,995 per person excluding scheduled airfare
Single Room Supplement: $
Deposit to Secure Participation: $Your Safari Includes:
Professional photographer and escort, airport transfers, transportation in private vehicle with local English-speaking guide, full board accommodation from breakfast on day 2 to lunch on day 15, excursions, photographic opportunities and tribal visits as described.
Your Safari Excludes:
Dinners on days 1 & 15, bottled mineral water, drinks & laundry, gratuities to staff, international flights.
You will find the lowest priced airfares at www.davidanderson.worldventures.com
Carbon Offsets: Focus on Planet Earth understands that air travel contributes to increased green house gases and global warming. Therefore, we encourage our expedition participants to assist us in making each Focus on Planet Earth expedition carbon neutral. You can offset your air transportation carbon impact by purchasing carbon off-sets. As an incentive for you to do this, we will deduct 50% of the amount of your purchase from your final invoice. To offset the emissions from your flights go to Carbon Off-Set Calculator.
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