ALFA Culture Exchange

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ALFA Culture Exchange

Healing through discovery,culture,and experience.

25/08/2022

Egungun, in the broadest sense is any Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure. More specifically, it is a Yoruba masquerade for ancestor reverence, or the ancestors themselves as a collective force. Eégún is the reduced form of the word egúngún and has the same meaning.

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22/08/2022

Growing up with multiple nationalities is filled with beautiful complexities.. I was recently asked "what language do you think in?" Hmm

13/08/2022

Caught the 'Aziza' art expo featuring the numerous works of classic and contemporary artists Cyprien Tokoudagba, Jean-Dominique Burton, Ishola Akpo, Jeremy Demester, David Adebayo (D-Vider), George Lilanga and more..

24/05/2022

Culture.

02/05/2022

Egungun celebration in Ouidah during Vodun festival.
Egungun is a Yoruba masquerade that provides an important connection between the worlds of the living and the dead. They are actual representation of the ancestors. This is culture. Book your tour with us now for more ancestral cultivation!

📍🇧🇯 Benin
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instapassport

28/04/2022

Sliiidin thru the city on moto taxi aka Zemidjan somewhere in Benin 🛵💨💨

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23/02/2022

At the Benin premiere of "Restituer?" A Nora Philippe produced art doc about the looted works of art from Benin.

20/02/2022

🎨🎭🗣Now showing as part of the exhibition: "Art of Benin yesterday and today, from restitution to revelation" at Palais de la Marina in Cotonou,Benin

The works shown here are Gèlèdè masks by Beninese artist Kifouli Dossou. This is a must see exhibition if you’re currently in Benin!

16/02/2022

A couple in wax print.

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15/02/2022

This is in Ouidah,Benin right next to my grandparents home where I was born. Ouidah was historically known to have been 1 of the biggest slave ports of the Transatlantic slave trade. Centuries ago men and women were branded and sold at this very place. That big tree behind me is where they (Portuguese and Brazilian) colonizers auctioned off the captives and enslaved them en route to new world (Europe, North and South America)..The colonizers couldn’t have caught the men and women without some help from local African Kings and their men who were accomplices to this tragic crime against humanity. Part of my job now today is to help bridge that divide between black America and Africa because the truth is we’re all dealing with residual trauma from the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We got work to do. This is heavy. Be sure to follow my page

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06/02/2022

Experience Culture, History, and Healing through an African lens. Book now!!

01/02/2022

The Great Mosque of Porto-Novo with its Afro-Brazilian architectural-style is one of the remnants of colonial Benin fka Dahomey. The construction of the mosque started in 1912 and completed in 1925.

20/01/2022

Come see Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village through the lens of the experience.

11/01/2022

Vodun Festival 2022. Ouidah,Benin
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21/12/2021

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 🖤

Our services provide a 10 day discovery of cultural landmarks, including a variety of outings to UNESCO world heritage sites like the Royal Palaces of Dahomey in Abomey, historic Ouidah (the largest slave port of the transatlantic slave trade and birth place of vodou,) the modern museum Zinsou, & Ganvie in Lake Nokoué, (the largest lake village in Africa, where the only means of transportation to and from the village is through wooden boats.)

Book now your travel:

👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

18/12/2021

Our mission is to bridge and heal the divide between America and Africa. We believe there can be healing through acknowledging and confronting the darker aspects of our collective historical truths. 🙌🏽
This is what the ALFA journey is about.

Reserve your spot now!
👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

17/12/2021

𝗚𝗮𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲.

West Africa is full of fascinating traditional cultures and lifestyles, and one of the most interesting ones during our tour travels will be the village of Ganvie. Ganvie is a village built on stilts in the middle of Lake Nokoué in southern Benin, close to the city of Cotonou. The village was founded in the 17th century by people looking for peace and safety during the slave trade. 400 years later, Ganvie has a population of some 30,000 people and the village even includes a hospital, post office and school.
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗮𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Book now your travel:

👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

11/12/2021

Discover 𝐋𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐮 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧) in 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧: A monument to the more than one million enslaved Africans deported from the port of Ouidah.

Get in Touch:

𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

#𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐍𝐨𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 #𝐋𝐚𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫

10/12/2021

Benin is the birthplace of Voodoo, this most mysterious of religions, and it exists here in its purest form. Some 60 percent of Beninese follow the Voodoo religion and many aspects of it spill over into the wider culture, too. As a tourist in Benin, it is impossible to avoid the herbal medicines, the roadside shrines, the statues of voodoo gods and the festivals and ceremonies that take place, particularly around Ouidah, Voodoo’s spiritual home.

Don't miss the chance to experience culture and indigenous African spirituality.

👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

09/12/2021

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 ♥

One of primary goals of Alfa Cultural Exchange is to bridge the gap between Africa and the African diaspora. Tomorrow is not promised to us all, so why not explore and fulfill our life purpose?

Discover the real Africa 💡

Book now your travel:

👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

08/12/2021

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬, & 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 🙌

We accommodate you from our selection of hotels and villas all located in the center of Calavi, a suburb of Cotonou. Markets, stores, and food are all within walking distance.

Our services provide a 10 day discovery of cultural landmarks, including a variety of outings to UNESCO world heritage sites like the Royal Palaces of Dahomey in Abomey, historic Ouidah (the largest slave port of the transatlantic slave trade and birth place of vodou,) the modern museum Zinsou, & Ganvie in Lake Nokoué, (the largest lake village in Africa, where the only means of transportation to and from the village is through woOur services provide a 10 day discovery of cultural landmarks, including a variety of outings to UNESCO world heritage sites like the Royal Palaces of Dahomey in Abomey, historic Ouidah (the largest slave port of the transatlantic slave trade and birth place of vodou,) the modern museum Zinsou, & Ganvie in Lake Nokoué, (the largest lake village in Africa, where the only means of transportation to and from the village is through wo boats.)

Book now your travel:

👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

07/12/2021

Save the dates 😎

𝐕𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 , 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐

The extraordinary Voodoo Festival which takes place in Ouidah, Benin every year, this year starts at on January 10-12, 2022 is a once seen, never forgotten experience.
It’s the must attend event in the Voodoo calendar – a celebration of the voodoo religion and the cults associated with it – and draws fe**sh priests, adepts, traditional chiefs and onlookers from far and wide. There are ritual sacrifices, plus dancing, drinking and the constant pounding of drums. Devotees assume the identity of gods, dressing up and transforming into that god as they do, with the realm of the magical close at hand. The Zangbeto look like giant, walking grass skirts, while the Egungun – the most powerful – are covered.

Book now your travel:

👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

07/12/2021

𝗔𝗟𝗙𝗔 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚. We are here to demystify the African experience for all those that wish to reconnect with their ancestral past.

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞?

📌Then the ALFA experience is for you! ♥

Book now your once-in-a-lifetime experience:
👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿
📧 𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘅@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚-𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠
Link In Bio

01/12/2021

If you’re in Benin be sure to stop by Le Lab in Cotonou to peep works by the incomparable Beninese artist

19/11/2021

Need plans for the weekend?? How about seeing some incredible art that informs. Renowned Beninese artist/sculptor Cyprien Tokoudagba is currently exhibiting works via in Cotonou (Fidjrosse)

Free Admission
Monday - Saturday
9H - 18H
☎️ : +(229) 91 20 70 19

Address:
Route 2100 - Gondouana - Fidjrossè (Bâtiment rouge des bureaux de la Fondation Zinsou le long du mur de l'aéroport)

16/11/2021

Gẹlẹdẹ mask

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The Gẹlẹdẹ spectacle of the Yoruba is a public display by colorful masks which combines art and ritual dance to amuse, educate and inspire worship.

Gelede masks are worn with a costume consisting of layers of elaborate, colorful cloth.
The Gelede "mask" is more accurately a headdress, since it rests on top of the head and the wearer's face is covered by a cloth veil. The headdress takes the form of a human head, on top of which are motifs that are intended to entertain onlookers but, in addition, usually address social concerns that may also be expressed in songs that are part of the masquerade. The headdresses are usually brightly painted.

Within the Gelede festival there are many different headdresses being used. The most common variations being: the Ori Eniyan, or human head. Within this group there are three subcategories. Those that have hairdos, those with head wraps or hats, and those carrying small creatures or objects. This mask is the most commonly associated with the Gelede performances.
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16/11/2021

Yoruba Gẹlẹdẹ ceremony.

*****

The Gẹlẹdẹ spectacle of the Yoruba is a public display by colorful masks which combines art and ritual dance to amuse, educate and inspire worship. Gelede celebrates “Mothers” (awon iya wa), a group that includes female ancestors and deities as well as the elderly women of the community, and the power and spiritual capacity these women have in society. Focusing not only on fertility and motherhood but also on correct social behavior within the Yoruba society.

Although the Gelede ceremony may be staged at any time of the year (to better the lot of an individual, to cleanse the society of pestilence, to induce rain, to enrich human fertility, to enlist the support of supernatural forces and the "powerful mothers" in wartime, and to honor the dead), the most elaborate performance occurs during the annual festival.
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15/11/2021

(1) Royal Emblems of Kings of the Kingdom of Dahomey. (2) Vodun Festival
(3)Egungun. They all represent themes of cultural antiquity. January 10th is international Vodun(Voodoo) day in Benin! Book a cultural tour with us via our website. Link in bio

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Experience Culture, History, and Healing through an African lens. Book now!! #africanculture #africandiaspora #africatravel #healingjourney #instatravel #AlfaExchange #discoverAfrica #africa #visitafrica #thisisafrica #travelafrica #africanbeauty #travelbenin #visitbenin #alfacultureexchange #blackamericans #africanamericans #diaspora #panafricanism #panafricanism #travel #travelblogger #traveladdict #traveling #BackToAfrica #backtoafrica #travelwestafrica

Yoruba Gẹlẹdẹ ceremony. ***** The Gẹlẹdẹ spectacle of the Yoruba is a public display by colorful masks which combines art and ritual dance to amuse, educate and inspire worship. Gelede celebrates “Mothers” (awon iya wa), a group that includes female ancestors and deities as well as the elderly women of the community, and the power and spiritual capacity these women have in society. Focusing not only on fertility and motherhood but also on correct social behavior within the Yoruba society. Although the Gelede ceremony may be staged at any time of the year (to better the lot of an individual, to cleanse the society of pestilence, to induce rain, to enrich human fertility, to enlist the support of supernatural forces and the "powerful mothers" in wartime, and to honor the dead), the most elaborate performance occurs during the annual festival. 📸 @akinyai #gelede #yoruba #yorubaculture #alfa #africanslivingforafrica #culture #africa #panafrican #panafricanism #benin

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