Supreme Chief of the Vodun cult in Benin · Enthroned June 25, 2006
His Majesty Daagbo Hounon
Tomadjlèhoukpon II
Guardian of the Mother House. Guarantor of Ouidah's highest cults. A sovereign authority whose blessing, alongside the great lineages of the sanctuary-city, governs the spiritual balance of the tradition around the world.
What Rome represents for the faith, Ouidah is that for global Vodun: the absolute epicenter of memory. His Majesty Daagbo Hounon Tomadjlèhoukpon II is its fundamental pillar, watching over the Mother House's centuries-old throne.
As a major figure of the tradition, his presence is mandatory and sacred at the official Vodun Days ceremonies (January 8-10). But beyond the public celebrations where the crowd watches from a distance, the After Vodundays program opens the doors of the inaccessible for you: the unique opportunity of a private audience, a direct face-to-face meeting with His Majesty at the heart of his palace. Through the ties of ONG Wa Afriki, you move from mere spectator of the festivities to a guest received in a solemn audience by the Pontiff. An exclusive meeting that cannot be bought, only passed on through the network of customary trust.
From the courtroom to the pontifical throne
Born December 31, 1951 in Ouidah, son of the 9th Daagbo Hounon of the Houxwé Dynasty, Daagbo Hounon Tomadjlèhoukpon II Hounwamènou served the State for many years within the modern judicial administration as a court clerk, before the oracles and centuries-old tradition designated him for this priesthood. This path is no paradox. It is the testimony of an imperial tradition that is not afraid of the modern world: it absorbs it, the better to guide it.
Enthroned on June 25, 2006, his legitimacy is rooted in the Houxwé Dynasty, whose archives formally document the spiritual office as early as December 1, 1917, under the designation Yovogan Hounnon Dagba in the Reynier Report, carefully preserved in Benin's National Archives (ANB, 1E14).
Since his accession, His Majesty has been the guarantor of the great ritual orientations and the protector of ancient mysteries. While the faithful celebrate his profound spiritual connection to universal forces and the ocean, the Pontiff is striking for his majestic simplicity: he sits on a carved wooden stool, wearing his traditional straw hat, embodying the original purity of his office in the face of the demands of the contemporary world.
The expertise and power of the sanctuary-city
The Seat of Power: the 4 pillars of the Mother House
The Mother House is not a place to pass through, it is the epicenter of the tradition's government. Entering its walls under the aegis of After Vodundays means reaching the decision-making heart of global Vodun.
The Tribunal of Tradition
The High Court of Arbitration
This is where a unique power of mediation is exercised. When major conflicts touch the integrity of the cults, modern justice steps aside: it is at the heart of this palace that the region's disputes are settled. His Majesty and his Council uphold a customary justice that preserves peace where state courts can no longer intervene.
The Pivot of Cohesion
The Council of Dignitaries
This sacred domain serves as the meeting point for convent chiefs and the guarantors of the different lineages. It is within these walls that the cultural forces gather to seal the great orientations of the indigenous faith. A role of collective governance that maintains harmony and cohesion far beyond Benin's borders.
The Matrix of Power
The Threshold of Coronations
The immutable, sacred space where every Supreme Chief of the Houxwé Dynasty has been crowned for generations. It is the place of transmission of pure spiritual power, a sanctuary that has stayed deaf to history's upheavals, to revolutions and to colonization. It is here that authority is sanctified before it radiates to the world.
Access to the Center of Power
The Solemn Audience
If the strength of this place of decision belongs to the world's memorial heritage, the opportunity to be received there remains strictly private. ONG Wa Afriki's family network exceptionally opens the doors of this sanctuary to you for a direct face-to-face meeting with His Majesty. You leave the role of spectator to become the Pontiff's privileged guest.
Image coming soon
The Mother House, Ouidah, facade or inner courtyard · 1200×675
Major acts and international reach
June 25, 2006 · Ouidah, Benin
The Enthronement
The advent of the first magistrate of judicial modernity to Ouidah's spiritual throne. The perfect alliance of contemporary rigor and age-old wisdom.
September 2021 · Bologna, Italy, G20 Interfaith Forum
International reach
His Majesty's historic participation alongside leaders of the world's great religions. Carrying a universal message, he declared there: "Vodun is a religion of peace, brotherhood and respect for nature." Ouidah's Vodun now has a seat at the tables where the world's future is decided.
Every January 10 · Ouidah, Vodun National Day
Preserving the heritage
Carrying forward the national holiday established in 1992 by President Soglo, His Majesty keeps Ouidah as the world beacon of Vodun culture, drawing an Afro-descendant diaspora in search of its original reconnection.
Essential questions
Who is His Majesty Daagbo Hounon Tomadjlèhoukpon II?
Born December 31, 1951 in Ouidah, son of the 9th Daagbo Hounon of the Houxwé Dynasty, he served the State for many years within the modern judicial administration as a court clerk before the oracles and centuries-old tradition designated him for this priesthood. Enthroned on June 25, 2006, he is the Supreme Chief of the Vodun cult in Benin, guardian of the Mother House and guarantor of Ouidah's highest cults.
What is Ouidah's Mother House, and why is it off-limits to ordinary tourism?
The Mother House is the sacred threshold of the Houxwé Dynasty, the immutable space where every Supreme Chief has been crowned for generations. It is not a museum: it is the seat of power, where the High Court of Arbitration and the Council of Dignitaries operate. No travel agency can take its clients there, because no agency has the network of trust required. ONG Wa Afriki does.
What is His Majesty's legitimacy built on?
On the Houxwé Dynasty, whose archives formally document the spiritual office as early as December 1, 1917, under the designation Yovogan Hounnon Dagba in the Reynier Report, carefully preserved in Benin's National Archives (ANB, 1E14). A documented continuity, not only an orally transmitted one.
What is the G20 Interfaith Forum, and why did His Majesty take part?
In September 2021 in Bologna, Italy, His Majesty Tomadjlèhoukpon II represented Vodun at the G20 Interfaith Forum, the interfaith forum held alongside the G20 Summit. Facing representatives of the world's great religions, he declared that "Vodun is a religion of peace, brotherhood and respect for nature," proof that Ouidah's tradition now speaks to the world's decision-makers.
Can visitors meet His Majesty through After Vodundays?
His presence is mandatory and sacred at the official Vodun Days ceremonies (January 8-10), where the crowd watches from a distance. Through ONG Wa Afriki's network, whose founder Bertian Hounon is the grandson of DAAGBO HOUNON HOUNA 1, After Vodundays opens the opportunity of a private audience, a direct face-to-face meeting with His Majesty at the heart of his palace. An exclusive meeting that cannot be bought, only passed on through the network of customary trust.
After Vodundays · ONG Wa Afriki
What no one else can offer
•The Mother House and the Vodun Days rituals are closed to ordinary tourism. Access exists only through ONG Wa Afriki's network of trust.
•This is not a stay in Ouidah. It is a transmission, 65% of program funds go directly back to local communities.
•Places per edition are limited and assigned by hand. Beyond a certain threshold, access becomes a visit, and that, ONG Wa Afriki refuses.
Documentary sources
Origins of the Houxwé dynasty since the 15th century
Official biography and attributions of His Majesty Tomadjlèhoukpon II
Portrait: the pontiff's outward simplicity and the global reach of his influence
His Majesty's role during the annual national celebrations
The Reynier Report of December 1, 1917, the first colonial documentation of the lineage
The authorities of the tradition
Grand Patriarch
DAAGBO HOUNON HOUNA 1
Supreme Chief · Benin
Tomadjlèhoukpon II
King of the Seas · Diaspora
Dada Daagbo Hounon Houna II