Benin's Women, Pillars Of Voodoo Celebrations

An initiate Kokou, a traditional warrior deity, covers herself with a mixture of red vegetable oil mixed with corn flour as festivities get under way (Credit: AFP)

Clad in white and pink, Deborah Bossou, 25, blends vibrant song with dance as she immerses herself with fellow practitioners in Vodun, traditional voodoo celebrations in Benin.

This weekend brought the traditional Vodun Days annual festival encompassing arts, culture and voodoo spirituality to the southern town of Ouidah, centre on the Sakpata Zoungbodji religious convent.