Divinatory practice : What the Fa sees

The Fa is a practice of predicting the future. It is common in some cultures of Benin, he has been getting more and more talked about in recent years, his “priests” making divinations accompanied by strong media coverage. But what about the results that came out of these “prophecies”? ?

According to the account made by the ABP and published on an information site on 5 December 2019, a consultation of the Fa would have predicted “peace and demographic explosion” in Benin on behalf of 2020. This consultation was carried out in Pobè by the collective of Fa priests from the Yoruba and Nago cultural era.. This divination did not warn us that there would be a pandemic, much less the name of this pandemic..

It is true that, as per usual, this Fa has ensured an honorable way out by predicting that there will be many positive and negative events throughout the year and that Benin will experience the birth of a large number of male babies. In sum, this means that the sun will rise and set every day because, such prophesied events are the daily lot in life. At the same time, another ritual, by other priests 5 December in Abomey, concluded for 2020 childbirth difficulties and miscarriages. A little more daring, another Fa prophecy predicted,  for this year 2020, among other things the release of prisoners as well as civil disobedience following the appeal of a son of the country.

If the prophets of traditional cults predicted the obvious facts, those who can't not happen over the course of a year, what is, On the other hand, they could not see the real unpredictable facts coming which constitute the very essence of a true prophecy. En l’occurrence, This year it is the coronavirus pandemic which, yet has welcomed the world since January.

At the dawn of each year, predictions are made by these “priests”, and every year it's the same thing, these turn out to be more and more fanciful. But our “prophets” never questioned themselves. However, for some time, we are witnessing an increasingly open war between practitioners of this ritual, against the backdrop of political positioning. As these become numerous, contradictions appear within them and false prophecy lawsuits are filed. Beninese use the Fa to promote the candidacy of President Talon, denounces a high religious dignitary, who believes that this was the case recently in Allada and Ouidah.

This squabble which will certainly accelerate as the presidential election approaches, will further discredit this practice, still widespread in certain traditional circles.. Indeed, everyone has their own political interests, every flatterer being deemed to live to the detriment of the one who listens to him.

This cultural practice appeared in a very specific historical context and, certainly, she played an important role in her time. En l’occurrence, the Fa was probably useful to the precolonial political entities who invented it given their cultural and religious homogeneity. This is why it is urgent to use it wisely in order to preserve its natural value recognized by all..

                                                                                                                                              Pierre Matchoudo