Boundary tightrope walkers, givers of humanity
10 years we've been camping on borders, at crossroads.
A tightrope walker's feeling...
Every step, if it is not measured, or if it strays a little too much to one side or the other, can lead to failure in the crossing towards success.
Yet, the challenges are numerous, because at Château Vodou we are «facilitators»:
Carriers of ideas, memory, and humanity.
Carriers of objects, knowledge, art and the sacred.
Creators of bridges, of exchanges, of blends.
For 10 years we've been positioned at the crossroads: between the visible and invisible worlds, Western Europe and West Africa, the intimate and the collective, belief and science, culture and tourism, the playful and the academic, the experimental and theory, the private museum and public interest, passion and budgetary reality, conservation and transmission, the rational and magic.
Each of these crossings required choices to be made, compromises to be struck, more or less simple and accepted. It is not an easy exercise to speak to strangers (our visitors) about the religious and the intimate. Even more so when these beliefs originate from another continent.
We have done our utmost to ensure that these stances remain aligned with our values, which themselves have been enhanced and have evolved over the years.
Of course, there were moments of doubt, moments where the team felt like letting go in the face of so many obstacles (financial, legal, political, controversial...).
It must be said that it is complicated to learn Vodou from books, it is difficult to establish and keep a museum alive that does not have the backing of the «Musée de France» label, even though it produces quality scientific work. It is delicate not to laugh when you are asked, for the umpteenth time, if as director you are a priestess or if the museum is not a cult. And it is arduous not to lose your temper when skin colour (whatever it may be) provokes unacceptable behaviour.
But if we have held on without stumbling, I sincerely believe it today, it’s because we knew how to measure our steps, at the crossroads of borders, like daredevil acrobats.
We will continue to offer wonder, open doors to other cultures, and be pillars of discovery to provide a unique experience for every visitor. Playful, sensitive, expressive, or scientific, visits to the Vodou Château invite you on a journey through a collection of ritual objects imbued with tradition, meaning, and surprise. Sparking curiosity, broadening horizons, fostering interculturalism with a common thread of the history of continents, art history, religious history, pharmacopoeia…
We bring the collection to life and conduct scientific research on many themes, despite the difficulty of undertaking studies on this oral and secret culture. We propose new approaches and new activities to encourage everyone to cross the museum's doors, with respect and kindness.
Furthermore, we believe it is essential, in a harsh and oppressive geopolitical climate, and despite the uncertainties of the future, to remain a source of fresh ideas in order to offer an escape, a chance to step back, and intimate experiences between audiences and the works. Doesn’t silence on art and culture give rise to obscurantism? Isn’t it essential to keep the debate alive, whatever the cost?
Our activities have led to some wonderful encounters and sparked exciting projects. So many ideas over just a few semesters: conferences, concerts, podcasts, virtual reality, dance classes, murder mystery parties, yoga classes, wine tasting tours, late-night openings, treasure hunts, album launches, photo shoots, children's books, seminars, aperitifs, shows, storytelling... and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
The invaluable contributors who have made this journey possible are all those who have been involved with the museum, in one way or another, over the past 10 years: Marc and Marie-Luce Arbogast, past and present team members, the board of trustees, our partners—each one more extraordinary than the last—and our loyal supporters.
Today, the greatest reward is knowing that our expertise is now recognised both nationally and internationally by our peers and visitors.
Thank you to all of you, both in the physical world and the unseen world, who have taken part in this adventure, which still promises many twists and turns.
We hope we will not lose heart as we move forward, and that the richness of Voodoo—its aesthetics, its knowledge and its core principles—will continue to guide us.
Adeline Beck, Administrator
80,519 visitors over 10 years
2,238 visitors in 2014
15,401 visitors in 2023
Over the past 10 years, 23 staff members have worked as part of the team.
15 interns were welcomed (in art history, history of religions, history, graphic design, communication, and secondary school students).
15 people attended the board meeting.
In 2023: The organisation employs a multidisciplinary team of 13 people from 9 different countries!
A summary of our activity over 10 years
OUR EXHIBITIONS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS
7 temporary exhibitions created by the team
2024: Vodun Treasures, at the Heart of Africa's Sacred Arts: The Finest Pieces from the Collection.
2022/2023: Gèlèdè Masks, the Power of Mothers: Yoruba masked ceremonies.
2022: Pirogues – Todjivu: Boats in West African Vodou Cult
2020/2021: Religious Magic and Witchcraft, Beliefs and Representations of the Invisible between the Upper Rhine and Voodoo Africa
2019: Colour Trail: A journey through the museum's collection on the theme of colours in Vodou
2018: Vodou, Feminine Style: From Original Myths to Today's Women in West Africa.
2017: Dahomey Fetishes: African Art from the Slave Coast. New additions to the collection.
5 Exhibitions hosted
2019: *Zombie Castle* by Michel Meyer and Kettly Noël (visual arts)
2016: Codji by Iannis G. (photographs)
2015: Pipeline by Elena Perlino (photographs)
2015: The masks painted by L'Arham (painting)
2014: Women by Geneviève Aïssi (painting)
OUR PROGRAMMING FOR 10 YEARS
– Over 50 scientific conferences and round tables (slavery, myths, trance, contemporary art, sociology, anthropology, hypnosis, pharmacopoeia, welcoming a bokono…)
– Film nights and documentaries
– Storytelling afternoon
– Launch of novels and music albums
– Hosting press conferences
– Night-time torchlight tours
– Blind dates and wine tastings
– Themed tours
– Virtual Reality Experiences with Virtual Journey
– Night of the Museums
– Heritage Days
– Murder Parties
– Art workshops
West African dance workshops
– Yoga workshops
– Walking tours
– Christmas off
Strasbourg my love
– Concerts
– Dance shows
– Art couture catwalk show
– Writing and recording of 13 podcasts
– Loan of objects to other institutions (Toy Museum of Colmar, Maison Rouge in Paris, Museum of Confluences in Lyon, Museum of Pays de Hanau…)
KEY HIGHLIGHTS AND INNOVATIONS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS
December 2013: museum opening.
September 2014: a new administrator was hired and a team of 6 guides was formed.
December 2014: new website.
January 2015: the Voodoo Museum was renamed Château Vodou.
February 2015: trilingual audio guides introduced.
June 2015: creation of a Vodou garden.
June 2015: publication of the first «Vodou Notebook», the museum's annual catalogue.
January 2016: launch of 4 guided tours for young audiences.
September 2016: CTS unveils a new coach featuring designs inspired by the museum.
December 2016: launch of a new trilingual website.
January 2017: installation of external lettering on the water tower.
January 2018: part of the team travelled to Benin to attend the Voodoo festivities on 10 January.
November 2018: hosting of the World Poetry Meetings.
October 2019: launch of virtual reality experiences presenting 4 Voodoo ceremonies with our partner Virtual Journey.
October 2019: release of the children's album «Vodou» in partnership with Père Fouettard editions.
November 2019: Launch of the first murder mystery parties inspired by the museum and written by Dooz Escape Game.
Mars 2020: First lockdown.
May 2020: museum reopens.
September 2020: Installation of the tram stop «Porte Blanche – Musée Vodou».
October 2020: we win the Cultural Venue of the Year award at the Hopl'Awards.
November 2020: second lockdown for 7 months.
December 2020: Website redesign and online shop implementation.
January 2021: launch of a podcast programme.
June 2021: reopening.
February 2022: Team trip to Benin, carrying out an inventory of a private collection at the request of the French Embassy.
June 2022: concert by singer Imany in Mulhouse, directly inspired by the museum.
August 2022: disappearance of the museum's co-founder, Marie-Luce Arbogast.
September 2022: the museum is now open 7 days a week from 2 PM to 6 PM.
October 2022: drafting and dissemination of the museum's charter and its collection.
November 2022: Welcome of the Minister of Culture of Benin.
December 2022: Museum bar opens.
January 2023: visit to the Tervuren Museum with the entire Vodou Castle team.
February 2023: participation in the show «la Veillée» by Patrick Baud, re-broadcast on YouTube.
April 2023: The museum administrator joins the board of directors of Alsace Tourist Sites.
May 2023: Signing of a scientific and cultural partnership agreement with the Ministry of Benin.
October 2023: publication of the thriller «The Living Keep the Dead Alive», inspired by the museum.
February 2024: opening of a new temporary exhibition for the museum's 10th anniversary.
OUR PROJECT PARTNERS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS
The Pocket Orchestra, Aissi Geneviève, Coze, Yperkuth, The Walk, Nicolas Wolff, Ahram, Francis Waydelich, CTS, Elena Perlino, Association Ithaque, Médecins du Monde, Sourire sans souffrir, Iannis G., Strasbourg and Region Tourist Office, Mathieu Barth, AMISP, Philippe Rigaut, Heritage Inventory Services of the Grand Est Region, Elisabeth Paillard, City of Strasbourg, Claire Châtaigner, Jenny Litzelmann and the Albert Schweitzer House, Sophie Reeb and the Ateliers de la Seigneurie d’Andlau, Julien Gérard, Mario Molard, Firmin and Hector, David Arnold, Déborah Kessler Bilthauer, Toy Museum, Maison Rouge Paris, Les Voix Off Choir, Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic, Strasbourg mon Amour, Noël Off, Youssouph Koutoudio, Académie de Strasbourg, Espace Victor Schoelcher in Fessenheim, University Gardens, University of Strasbourg, Crous, Tina Assen Emmanuel, Florimont Festival, Dodji Amozouvi, Olympe de Gouges Media Library, Cyrill Noyalet, Strasbourg Loves Its Students, MGEL, City of Strasbourg’s Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Unit, Benin Embassy in Paris, Agnès Maritza Boulmer, Linda Weil Curiel, Isabelle Gilette Faye, Olivier Garbin, Louis Joseph Manscour, Afrique Festival, Compagnie Ateka, Nicole Greib, CIRA, Afriqu’elles, Jean Paul Christophe, Virtual Journey, World Poetry Festival, Brussels Vodoun Arts Festival, Editions du Père Fouettard, Camille Tisserand, Cinémas Star, Fantastic Film Festival, Pokaa, Michel Meyer, Kettly Noel, Dooz escape game and Malleus maleficarum bar, Graffalgar, Librairie Kléber, Compagnie le Talon Rouge, Strasbourg Live session, Pôle Sud, Shichay Yoga, CNRS, the African Diaspora Summit, Hanau Regional Museum, Alsace Ecomuseum, Alsatian Museum of Strasbourg, Gérard Léser, Maryse Simon, Dominique Juhe Beaulaton, Jean Marie Husser, Cerag, Strasculture, Eurockéennes de Belfort, Festival of Sacred Music, Imany, Mysteria, Patrick Baud, Editions Michel Lafon, Alexandre Galien, Kawati Studios, Tim Gihr, Arrach’coeur, Batorama, Joseph Béhé, Ososphère, Loïck Guttierez, Marie Bertrand, Le Comptoir du crime, École AIVA, HEAR …
Vodoun is the spirit within the body in a trance, and to speak of a trance is inevitably to speak of a shift from one place to another, from one state to another.Vodoun is the vodoussi in a trance: the spirit that manifests itself and enables one to enter a trance. Well done to the museum staff.
Vodoun is the spirit within the body in a trance, and to speak of a trance is inevitably to speak of a shift from one place to another, from one state to another.Vodoun is the vodoussi in a trance: the spirit that manifests itself and enables one to enter a trance. Well done to the museum staff.
What is the anthropological and socio-cultural impact of Vodù in Benin and social Vodù on the lives of believers?
This influence is both internal and external and is rooted in a belief in cosmic forces. Thus, Vodü is the spiritual expression of a deep respect for the laws of nature. The more a person respects nature or natural laws, the more they interact with all the gods, especially Sapkatä, Hèviosso and Ogü.
My sincere greetings to the guardian members of Vodü Castle.