2020 VODOUN FESTIVAL IN ALLADAJanuary 9, 10, 11

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

An invitation to partner with the

KINgDOm Of ALLADA

*Vodun Culture—Interculturality and Globalization: Some Suggestions for UNESCO and scholars.” https://en.unesco.org/fellowships/keizo-obuchi/summary-research-carried-out/vodun-culture-–-interculturality-and-globalization-some-suggestions

2020 VODOUN FESTIVAL IN ALLADA“VODUN AND Fá cAN bE INfLUENTIAL IN THE AwAKENINg AND ELEVATION Of THE HUmAN PERSON THROUgH THEIR PHARmAcOPEIA, mUSIc, gASTRONOmy, LITERATURE AND POLITIcS . . . THE cONTRIbUTION Of VODUN AND Fá TO gLObALIzATION cAN THEREfORE bE SAID TO POSITIVE TO ALL HUmANKIND.”*

SINcE 1997,INcE 1997, thousands of devotees and visitors from every corner of the world have converged on the Kingdom of Allada to experience the annual Vodoun Festival. The event is one of Benin’s most colorful and dramatic events. On January 9, 10 and 11, Their Majesties King Kpodegbe Toyi Djigla and Queen Djèhami Kpodegbe Kwin-Epo, the reigning Monarchs of

the Kingdom of Allada, celebrate the 23rd Anniversary of the Vodoun Festival in Allada—Benin’s oldest Kingdom and the birthplace and cradle of Vodoun.

The 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada will be an event like no other in Benin. For the first time in history, the King and Queen will “open the doors” to their Kingdom as part a campaign for Vodoun. Their intentions are to help educate the public about the true nature and efficacy of Vodoun; elevate the global conversation about this ancient spiritual tradition; and bring to light why a research study supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) suggests that Vodoun and Fá (Fon book of knowledge) “can be influential in the awakening and elevation of the human person [and] positive to all humankind.”

VODOUN, which translates to “sacred forces,” is variously spelled Vodun, Vodou and Voodoo. In the mid-1990s, when Benin transitioned to a democracy, this centuries-old spiritual tradition was officially recognized as a religion and January 10 established as a national day of the Vodoun faith. Today, Vodoun is practiced by millions of the world’s people, including well over 10 million people in the Republic of Benin as well as by people in Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria. Millions more practice Vodoun in the Americas, where a form of Vodoun syncretized with Catholicism emerged in Haiti, New Orleans, and other parts of the southern United States and the Caribbean.

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wHy bEcOmE A PARTNER?

A PARTNERSHIP wITH THE KINgDOm Of ALLADA PARTNERSHIP wITH THE KINgDOm Of ALLADA in support of the 2020 Vodoun Festival offers a unique platform for the company interested in reaching high- and middle-income individuals from the global community and simultaneously marketing its brand in Africa and to Diaspora communities. The event consistently draws a multicultural and

multigenerational audience of thousands—including Baby Boomers, Millennials and Gen-xers from Europe, America and Asia, in addition to practitioners, devotees and scholars of indigenous African culture. They are all united by their interest in Africa’s indigenous traditions and in international travel.

More than 10,000 people attend this multi-day event in Allada. In 2019, media coverage helped the Kingdom of Allada reach tens of thousands more. Local media included ORTB TV/Radio, Golfe TV/Radio, Canal 3 TV, E-Télé TV, Eden TV and La Béninoise TV, among others.

As part of the effort to elevate the global conversation about Vodoun, an aggressive media campaign in support of the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada will target the international, national and local press that reach audiences interested in African culture. In addition to coverage by the Beninese press, national and international media outlets include WUSA9 (a CBS affiliate), CNN (“CNN African Voices”), the HuffPost (“HuffPost Black Voices”), The Guardian, Le Monde, Voice of America, The Advocate (a New Orleans publication), “Africa Talks” and “Nzinga Effect,” to name just a few. Special stories will also be developed and placed to highlight the visual arts.

The Kingdom of Allada has also reached out to practitioners and devotees in the United States, who actively engage with their communities. Significantly, to support and expand academic inquiry into Vodoun, Allada has reached out to the scholarly community engaged in researching indigenous African spiritual traditions. The Royal Palace has already been invited to support program content for an annual conference in New Orleans and peer-reviewed scholarly journals.

You are invited to be a part of this important effort. Please review the sponsorship opportunities and benefits that follow and consider aligning your company name with the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada and the Kingdom of Allada. Contact us at blaisealladaroyalpalace@gmail.com.

“THE [VODOUN FESTIVAL]

cONSISTENTLy DRAwS

A mULTIcULTURAL AND

mULTIgENERATIONAL AUDIENcE

Of THOUSANDS . . . UNITED by

THEIR INTEREST IN AFRIcA’S

INDIgENOUS TRADITIONS AND IN

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL.”

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AbOUT THE FESTIVAL

THE 2020 VODOUN FESTIVAL IN ALLADAHE 2020 VODOUN FESTIVAL IN ALLADA provides the perfect opportunity to “reclaim” the religion born in Allada and take the first steps to educate the public about Vodoun and elevate the global conversation about this religion. A critical part of this involves helping

Festival attendees understand the cultural and symbolic dimensions of traditional Vodoun Festival offerings—including the powerful works of art, spirit objects and crafts, compelling music, dance performances, and the iconic masks that are the most visible part of Vodoun Festivals. To accomplish this, Vodoun Village will be set up on Royal Palace grounds and, for the first time in history, the Palace will permit access to Vodoun’s most sacred sites, including sites that have never been accessible to the public.

VODOUN VILL AgE VODOUN VILL AgE will be the hub of activities for the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada. Here, the King and Queen, their Royal Court, Bokonons (Priestesses and Priests), and the entire community of Allada will come together during the three-day Festival to share their wealth of knowledge about Vodoun and help elucidate the myriad ways the tradition informs the visual and performing arts, social institutions and customs, as well as philosophy, ethics, healing traditions, and overall lived experience in Benin. Festival goers will be able to stroll through Vodoun Village and

• PARTIcIPATEPARTIcIPATE in a Master dance class and a Master drumming class conducted by the artists of Super-Ange Hwendo Nabua: Troupe de Ballet du Benin

• ObSERVEObSERVE demonstrations by visual artists and artisans from the Kingdom of Allada

• SPEAK SPEAK with visual artists, artisans, musicians and dancers to gain insights into how Vodoun is preserved in and expressed through the material culture of Benin and to understand the power and performance of Vodoun music and dance

• cONSULT cONSULT with Bokonons to ask questions about Vodoun rituals and practices and to learn something about the healing traditions that rely upon the therapeutic power of the vegetal kingdom

• REcEIVE REcEIVE a Fá divination

• SAmPLE SAmPLE delicious traditional cuisine provided by Allada’s best restaurants.

• HEAR HEAR about the iconic Zangbeto and Egoun Goun masks, including stories of their origins, physical characteristics and meanings

VODOUN’S mOST SAcRED SITES VODOUN’S mOST SAcRED SITES will be accessible to the public, including Zanvali Sacred Forest Awouté and Sinoutin, three sites with significant spiritual and mystical import for the Kingdom of Allada.

In Zanvali Sacred Forest, Vodoun Festivals in Allada have opened with prayers, offerings, and libations to the Spirits of Vodoun. The opening of the 2020 Vodoun Festival will be expanded to include prayers and libations for peace and enlightenment in the world.

The public will have access to Awouté Sacred Lake, one of the most mystical places in the Kingdom of Allada. Awouté was created when Adjahouto, the Ancestral Founder of the Kingdom, removed his shirt, bloody from battle and dipped it into a small pool of water. The pool was suddenly transformed into a lake.

During the three-day Vodoun Festival, the public will also have access to Sinoutin, the Sacred Temple of the Ancient Kings—Ancestors of the Adjahouto Royal Dynasty, which includes the reigning King Kpodégbé Toyi Djigla, the 16th king and son of the 15th King Toyi Bedegla, and the General Toussaint Louverture, grandson of the King Kokpon Médjè, the 1st King of Allada.

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PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIESPARTNER wITH THE KINgDOm Of ALLADAARTNER wITH THE KINgDOm Of ALLADA by aligning your company’s name and brand with the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada. The Palace offers the following

opportunities to help advance your marketing goals and would be pleased to work with you to tailor a special package.

UNDERwRITER Of VODOUN VILL AgEUNDERwRITER Of VODOUN VILL AgE $15 ,000$15 ,000

• Marquee recognition at the main entrance of Vodoun Village and additional signage at some access points

• Announcement by the Festival Impresario publicly acknowledging your company’s participation as Underwriter of Vodoun Village and extending an invitation to a member of your company’s leadership to address the people gathered at the event

• Prominent placement of your company logo on the official website for the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada with a link to your company’s website

• Three prominently placed tables in Vodoun Village to sample your company’s products and distribute information about your company or brand

• Recognition in all press materials of your company’s participation as the Underwriter of Vodoun Village. Press materials will be distributed to international, national and local media

• An announcement on social media of your company’s participation in the festival

• Invitation for four people to join the Monarchs of the Kingdoms in Benin and Benin’s diplomatic community at the private dinner hosted by Her Majesty, the Queen Djèhami Kpodegbe Kwin-Epo to close the festival.

PATRON Of THE ARTS PATRON Of THE ARTS $10,000 $10,000

• Strategically placed signage at Vodoun Village recognizing your company as Patron of the Arts and sponsor of the artists and artisans participating in the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada

• Announcement by the Festival Impresario publicly acknowledging your company’s participation as Patron of the Arts

• Significant positioning of your company logo on the official 2020 Vodoun Festival website with a link to your company’s website

• One table in Vodoun Village to sample your company’s products or distribute information about your company or brand

• Recognition in select press materials of your company’s participation as Patron of the Arts

• An announcement on social media of your company’s participation in the festival.

• An invitation for one to join the Monarchs of the Kingdoms in Benin and Benin’s diplomatic community at the private dinner hosted by Her Majesty, the Queen Djèhami Kpodegbe Kwin-Epo to close the festival.

SPONSOR Of THE SPONSOR Of THE bOKONONSbOKONONS $6 ,500$6,500

• Signage in proximity to Vodoun Village recognizing your company as a Sponsor of the Bokonons participating in the event

• Announcement by the Festival Impresario publicly acknowledging your company’s participation in the festival as Sponsor of the Bokonons

• Inclusion of your company logo on the official website for the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada

• One table at Vodoun Village to distribute information about your company or brand

• Recognition in select press materials of your company’s participation as Sponsor of the Bokonons

• An announcement on social media of your company’s participation in the festival

• Two complimentary private, in-depth Fá divinations.

FESTIVAL cONTRIbUTOR FESTIVAL cONTRIbUTOR $3,000$3,000

• Special listing of your company on the official website for the 2020 Vodoun Festival in Allada

• One table in Vodoun Village to distribute information about your company or brand

• Recognition of your company’s participation in the press announcement distributed to international, national and local media

• Acknowledgment on social media of your company’s participation as a festival contributor.