#dahomey

[jafar-panahi]

Dahomey (2024) 🇧🇯🇸🇳 a documentary by Mati Diop

[mariwatchesmovies]

Dahomey (2024) dir. Mati Diop cine. Joséphine Drouin-Viallard

[pierreism]

Dahomey, 2024. dir. Mati Diop

[funstealer]

Dahomey woman - Vintage postcard, circa 1900, Benin Republic, caption "A cunning Hausa" - photographer Geo. Wolber.

[longliveblackness]

1937 Portrait of the only surviving female warriors, who had fought against the French in 1895, Abomey, Dahomey Kingdom, Benin Republic.

•••

Retrato de 1937 de las guerreras sobrevivientes que lucharon contra los franceses en 1895. Abomey, Reino Dahomey, República de Benín.

[kemetic-dreams]

The proper name for the West African religion is vodúnsínsen, which means "spirit worship". The spelling Vodún is often used to differentiate it from the Haitian religion, which is usually spelled Vodou.

The term "voodoo" is considered offensive for naming the religion outside of Louisiana. The word "voodoo" originated in Louisiana around 1850, likely from the French word "voudou" or the West African word "vodu"

The religion of Vodun originated in the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, which is now part of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The name comes from the Fon word for "God" or "Spirit"

[moviemosaics]

Dahomey

directed by Mati Diop, 2024

[postcard-from-the-past]

Béhanzin, former King of Dahomey, modern-day Benin, in exile with his wives on Martinique

French vintage postcard

[babylon-crashing]

Q: what do you think about the art of tarot? does the art motivate you to buy it?

Hmm, speaking only for myself, it has, in the past, made me want to try it myself.

My first deck dealt with Syssk, an alien xenomorph who finds herself stranded in medieval Japan. Later I started on a new project featuring a female Cthulhu-like character (I never really did come up with a name for her) and it was only when I was about halfway through that I realized it was Syssk 2.0, the only real difference being the setting and costumes (Syssk crash lands on Earth in her UFO and, O look, Tentacles also just crash landed in a slightly different looking UFO, huh).

So, I’m trying something different. Instead of having a main character that runs through the story I started working with a pantheon of sea heroes and gods. There are mermaid tarot decks but there has yet to be an ocean-themed deck working with water deities from around the world.

For the wands I decided to focus on Egypt and West Africa. This is a rough draft, but one that has the burden of potential, as they say.

ACE: Mbumba, rainbow serpent of terrestrial waters. [Bantu] TWO: Abena Mansa, sea goddess associated with gold. [Akan] THREE: Erzulie, goddess of sweet water, beauty and love. [Dahomey] FOUR: Mamba Muntu, goddesses of the deep waters and female sexuality. [Bantu] FIVE: Nephthys, goddess of salt water, discoballs and the night. [Egyptian] SIX: Nommo, one of many primordial ancestral spirits that live in the sea [Dogon] SEVEN: Mami Wata, a water loa. [Ewe/ Fon] EIGHT: Yemoja, in rage over the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, is the orisha of sea waves and follows her people across the Atlantic. [Yoruba] NINE: Dahomey Amazon warrior weeping over her fallen comrades. [Benin] TEN: Pregnant Oya, orisha of sea storms. [Yoruba] PAGE: La Sirene and her shark [Côte d'Ivoire.] KNIGHT: Sobek, crocodile goddess of the Nile river. [Egyptian.] CONSORT: Unnamed. EMPRESS: Bosompo, primordial embodiment of the oceans and her pet squid, Lil’ Squiggle [Akan]

[ellednorih]

I speak whatever language is needed to sharpen the knives of my tongue the snake is aware although sleeping under my blood

– Audre Lorde, Dahomey (The Black Unicorn)

[jafar-panahi]

Dahomey (2024) 🇧🇯🇸🇳 a documentary by Mati Diop

[mistninja]

I got Mubi cuz it was on discount. Cinephile mutuals send me your recommendations

[101972139]

Dahomey. Directed by Mati Diop, 2024.

[pierreism]

Present/Past in Mati Diop's Dahomey (2024)

[friendswithclay]

“The women are making 'canaris' out of pottery, jars for water and food in Cotonou, Dahomey” c.1961

[kaiyastarz]

Agé

Agé is the Dahomey god of nature, wilderness, and the untamed forces of the natural world. As a protector of hunters and guardian of wild animals, Agé serves as the mediator between humanity and the spirits of the forest. He embodies the raw, primal energy of the wild, symbolizing both its nurturing and destructive aspects. Agé's domain extends to the unexplored and untamed lands, representing harmony with nature and the balance necessary for survival. He is often invoked for safe passage through the wilderness and success in hunting endeavors.