"The Voodoo page" Attitogon by grets

Having been held up by immigration officials in Cotonou in Benin for several hours, it was already getting late by the time we crossed the border into Togo.

Leaving the comfort of the main road behind, we turned down one of the many dirt tracks in this part of the world. The journey seemed to take an eternity, and I was concerned that I might miss what was one of my main reasons for visiting West Africa: a voodoo ceremony. We had been given a tip-off of a ceremony taking place in the village of Attitogon. The ritual was our only reason for visiting this real off-the-beaten-path village, and boy was it worth it! It was once of the most surreal experiences I have even had, and I apologise now for taking too many pictures and making too many tips. The whole thing was just so fascinating and bizarre that I want to share with you as much as I can. I don’t know if I can manage to purvey the feelings and atmosphere of this place purely by the written word and a few photographs, all which were taken when the light really was too dark for successful photography. I hope I can at least give you some insight into this extraordinary and grossly misunderstood religion.

I have tried to give a mix of factual information, mythological theories and personal observations in my tips below.

• Pros:Incerdible espectacle, like nothing you've evr experienced
• Cons:A long way to travel, and quite scary at times
• In a nutshell:A unique experience