Tanèka Koko village, near Kopargo, Benin (west Africa).
When we arrived here, nobody around. We waited for the chiefs of Tanèka Koko village.
Under a tree, there was a throne made by stone.
After a while, two men appeared, sitting under the tree, starting to smoke.
They were the big chief and the past chief of the village, and they desired to talk with us, also giving to us the welcome in the village and the permission to stay and to take pictures.
Each of them had a long old traditional pipe, a wooden hat and a necklace.
The necklace is made by tooth of a warthog, and to protect themselves they use a monkey skin.
Around them, sat under another tree and between traditional houses, many children, families with animals.
Village is small, some hundreds people are living here.
They started to speak with us, explaining their life and culture, in traditional language and also in French language.
I love to discover other cultures, I'm very curios to know how they live, how are their rules and it is why I travel and make pictures. This things are not only a good memory and experience for me, but I hope it is a precious archive to preserve and maintain alive all these different cultures.
I will write exactly what they said to us.
First of all, what is the rules of chiefs?
The big chief is the tradition keeper of community. They take health when there are situations of sickness between the people in village.
They choose the right moment for traditional ceremonies.
Finally, but not less important, they help couples (husband and wife), when they have problems. When there is an hate situation, they meet themselves to discuss, trying to find a solution the better solution for all the community.
They were very calm talking with us, they seem to be in another dimension.
When they become traditional chief, they can't use modern clothes anymore. If they wear modern clothes, they said they will die.
They use only traditional dresses to be easily recognized by divinity, when they do traditional (animist) ceremonies.
To become chief you must come from a family of traditional chief.
When they become chief, they choose the person who will become the new chief. To be sure to choose the right person, they ask to the 'Oracle'.
They are 83 and 70 years old.
They look younger.
To stay younger, they feed only with natural food. They don't use modern fork, plate or spoon, only food and traditional stuff also to cook.
I'm happy to have had this kind of opportunity, the only remorse is that I haven't done this question: 'what do you think about us and about western frenetic world?'. I didn't know the answer, but in my heart I think they don't matter of our style of live, not because of carelessness , but because of they are happy to live an harmonic life, next to the natural rhythms. This is the feeling I had.
Long life to the kings!
Pictures taken with Sony Alpha 7iii, Nikon D800.
21.10.2022.
