The World’s Strangest Market - Inside The Largest Voodoo Market Of D*ad Animals In Africa - Togo 🇹🇬

Akodessewa Fetish Market in Lomé, the capital of Togo, is often described as the largest voodoo (vodun) market in the world. Situated in the Akodessewa district, it is an open-air market dedicated entirely to traditional West African spirituality. Stalls are filled with dried animal heads, skulls, bones, skins, and whole carcasses of monkeys, birds, snakes, crocodiles, and many other animals, as well as bundles of herbs, roots, powders, oils, and handmade fetishes and talismans.

For local vodun practitioners, these objects are not souvenirs but spiritual tools. The market works like a “pharmacy” for spiritual medicine: people visit vodun priests or priestesses, receive a diagnosis through rituals or divination, and are then sent to Akodessewa to buy specific items needed for healing, protection, or other ceremonies. Visitors come seeking help with health problems, bad luck, curses, relationships, fertility, business success, or spiritual cleansing.

Today, Akodessewa is also a tourist attraction. Guides and priests often explain the meaning of different objects and offer personalized charms to visitors. However, the market also raises questions about animal welfare and wildlife conservation, since some species sold may be protected. Despite often being labeled by outsiders as a “black magic” or “strangest” market, for many West Africans Akodessewa represents a living continuation of ancient spiritual and healing traditions that long predate colonialism and still shape everyday life.
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Quit my corporate job in September 2021 to chase new destinations and document my life. I am following my passion for creating experience-driven travel videos with a human touch.

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