Long live the King

As you all know we had the coronation ceremonies for a new king this past weekend. I informed and invited the other volunteers for the festivities in Ketou. Five answered the call and a good time was had by all. Incidentally, their presence, along with that of other PC, French and Canadian volunteers as well as invited guests and a group of Russian gold miners, made for an unprecedented numer of light skinned individuals in the city. This alone added to the atmosphere of the event. Seeing one or two white people on the street is cause for rubbernecking and some curiosity by some here (even some who see one everyday), but seeing them in groups of 5 to 10 or more can stop traffic and conversations and be the cause of shouting to friends (by the dozen), parades following us and crowds gathering around us whenever we stop. Having 2 or 3 people stop and stare as you walk by is strange but becomes commonlace quickly. Being the subject of a large group of people watching, often not even talking to each other, will apparently take a little more getting used to. There probably won’t be many instances like this though. There was never any danger, we were merely a source of curiosity.
Since I have been told that several parents of members of my group are reading this blog on a regular basis (Although I can’t imagine what they find so interesting) my guests for the festivities were Margaret Graham, Emily Howe, Charles Reeves, Maria De Souza Santos and Michelle Edwards. To all their parents they are all well, doing great work and remarkable individuals in their own right. You have all done marvelous work as parents and guardians of the future. The same can be said (at least in my opinion) of all of the parents of my fellow volunteers. Being here with these gifted, caring young people has given me a much greater hope for the future of the US and the world, something I was wondering about before I left for Benin.
Although running late by several hours and somewhat disorganized (both conditions typically Beninoise and expected) the coronation was a spectacular event. It seemed as if the entire population of Keou was there along with many visitors and invited guests. The six of us got there about noon. It seemed as if we might be too late to be able to see anything but once some of the organizers discovered we were Americans chairs were produced and space made available (It helps to be pushy Americans sometimes). The space created for us was less than 20 feet from the seat of the king. We were in the front row to witness all of the groups coming to pay homage to the new king. The dances and clothing were spetacular. It was obvious that this was not thought of as an ordinary event by anyone. Dancers must have practiced for weeks and I can only guess at how much time and money was spent colletively on the clothes for some people. I’m sure that some of the clothes were made especially for the coronation.
At one time it was time for individuals who wished to do so to present themselves to the king. Sitting almost next to the king put us almost first in line. We all walked up and genuflected or fell prostrate (the proper method) and received a blessing and a touch to the head from the king with his ceremonial brush (brushes are often used here instead of staffs or the like). There were some more speeches and visits by dignitaries before the actual coronation but because our seats were in the sun (the penalty for being late apparently) we had to leave since we had exhausted our water supply. While we were at the buvette rehydrating we heard that the ceremony was delayed awaiting the arrival of the governor of the neighboring Nigerian state. Moments later said motercade drove by us. It was impressive in itself. There were about 20 vehicles. Several army vehicles, buses with invited guests, press corps, police escort and the governors car. The procession was moving at about 10 miles per hour but there were a dozen men dressed in black suits and sunglasses (Nigerian secret service?) running alongside the governors car. Presumably this was only for the ride through Ketou and not for the entire drive from Nigeria. Still impressive though. This was about 3pm and I know I've told you how hot it gets here. How these men are still alive I don’t know. We were only sitting in the sun and had to move before we got heat exhaustion.
Ater rehydrating we relaxed at my house for a while before attending the next round of coronation festivities. We were told that there was to be traditional dancing demonstrations around the palace later at night. After dinner we went back to the palace with my neighbor acting as guide and interpreter. As usual the festivities started late.
Standing in front of the palace practically alone made this fact obvious. With nothing else happening we were ushered through a side door of the palace. There were about a dozen people seated quietly in a room. We removed our shoes and were led to one of the men. We shook hands and exchanged greetings. We were not told it was the king until after we started (he was wearing a head-dress with a beaded mask during the day so we did not recognize him). Once informed of his identity we genuflected and wished him long life and a peaceful reign. It was not until after we had left that we were told we were not supposed to shake hands with the king. This was not our first cultural faux pas, neither did we jeopardize US-Benin relations of course but I doubt we will invited back to dinneer with the king.
After this encounter we met the French volunteers and talked with them for a while until the festivities resumed. When they did they were not what we were led to believe them to be. It turned out not to be dancing but the appearance of a protective spirit. We arrived at the ceremony again a little late. My neighbor disappeared for a moment and came back with officials and chairs. We were set up in the front row again. Since it was now past midnight (and only about 80°) we were able to remain for the entire ceremony; Unfortunately none of us brought cameras. The ceremony consisted of some dancing and music followed by the appearance of the spirit.
The spirit was wearing the traditional headpiece of Ketou and a very bulky outfit. With all of his activity and the heat and humidity he must have lose 10 pounds through sweating during the ceremony. Accompanied by the dancers, musicians and singers the spirit performed ceremonial dances and songs from the spirit world. Obviously different from anything most of us have ever experienced it is very difficult to describe. It was very well received by the crowd with several people (including some of us) throwing money and a few (none of us) becoming excited enough to roll on the ground in apparently spiritual trances.
Being in the front row accorded us a great view, of course, but also allowed us to be blessed and accepted by the spirit. It also presented an opportunity for an unusual display of Beninoise hospitality. My neighbor looks out for me. She is part of my security around the house. As a married woman she is expected to stay at home and tend to domestic matters (she had to ask permission of her husband to go with us). As such she can keep an eye on my apartment and has informed me when I have missed a visitor and passed on messages for me. I have never asked her to do any of this she does it only because I am her neighbor and it is what neighbors do here. At one point during the ceremony there was a rush of people forward that enveloped Charles. My neighbor rushed in, grabbed the arms of Charles' chair and shoved several grown men backwards with her hips providing Charles with more space. (If Charles' parents are reading he was never unsafe merely uncomfortable.) As my friend Charles was deemed worthy of my neighbors hospitality, and protection, whenever needed. The rest of the night passed peacefully with my neighbor remaining standing next to Charles in case her services were needed again.
Today spirits have been emanating from all of the fetishes in town (and there are lot of them) to pay homage to the king. They have been emerging from their fetish and travelling to the palace and back. It has made for a very colourful day here. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my camera with me for the day so I don’t have any photos of the spirits. I have been led to believe that I may not have been able to take pictures of most of them anyway. Also, this has not been witnessed by any other volunteers since I didn’t know it was happening I couldn’t invite them to stay for it.
Enough of coronations for now. Next is Christmas with the orphans. If anything exciting happens I’ll let you know as usual. Bye for now and Happy Holidays.