Togo’s sacred Voodoo stone augers year of peace and prosperity

A canoe glided slowly across the waters of Lake Togo, carrying the mystical Aklima tam-tam drum to a sacred wood to herald a momentous event: the 363rd unveiling of the sacred stone.

For the Guin people, the annual Epe-Ekpe or Ekpessosso festival in September marks the start of the new ancestral year.

The traditional “taking of the sacred stone” ceremony is an integral rite dating back to 1663 and started by settlers from the former Gold…