“Dodji, l’Archet Vodoun” is a documentary about reconnecting with ancestral culture to understand one’s origins, following an initiation ceremony that reveals African spiritual practices beyond the clichés of something “diabolical.”

A documentary blending identity, spirituality and traditional music premieres on Saturday at the Théâtre Claude Lévi-Strauss at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris.

Directed by Amaury Voslion, Dodji, l'Archet Vodoun follows cellist Thomas Dodji Kpadé as he travels to Benin, widely regarded as a cradle of Voodoo, in response to what he describes as a pull toward his ancestral homeland. The film combines cello compositions with the traditional rhythms of Agbéhoun to explore questions of identity and spirituality in West Africa.

Born to a French mother and a Beninese father, Kpadé said he felt compelled to reconnect with his roots.

“At some point in life, you need to understand where you come from,” he told TV5Monde Info’s Journal Afrique. “Voodoo is present throughout Benin and is often misunderstood, even demonized, yet it is a religion in its own right.”

Kpadé, who grew up between cultures, also has ties to Porto-Novo. His second given name, Dodji — meaning “be courageous” in parts of southern Togo, Benin and Ghana — is given to both boys and girls.

The film traces the journey of a father rooted in local traditions guiding his son through an initiation ritual. It captures ritual practices including libations, divination, sacred songs and dance. Its original score, titled Réveille-toi (“Wake Up”), uses the cello as a bridge between European and West African musical traditions.

Agbéhoun, also known as Agbé, provides the film’s musical foundation. The practice combines rhythm and a bamboo-pole dance in which performers move atop poles anchored in the ground, some reaching up to 14 metres. The form gained prominence in Benin in the 1960s.

“Our country’s 1962 international theatre prize in France was largely due to Agbéhoun,” said Hermas Gbaguidi, director of the Agbéhoun troupe, during the 2025 Vodoun Days. “At the time, they used a single bamboo pole, and that alone astonished the jury.”

The screening is part of the event L’anthropologie va vous surprendre! (“Anthropology Will Surprise You!”), now in its seventh edition. This year’s programme focuses on time and rhythm and includes lectures, concerts, public discussions and film screenings.

Ubrick F. Quenum