Open the Gate
A Vodoun Immersion in Benin
There is a tradition in West Africa older than any law, older than any institution, older than the modern world's memory of itself, that has never stopped tending Mother Earth. In Benin, the sacred forests are still standing. The seeds are still being kept. The Vodoun still moves through ceremony, through forest, through the hands of those who never forgot. This immersion invites you into that living field — where Papa Legba stands at the threshold, where the gate between worlds is still open, and where the covenant between the human and the more-than-human world is still being renewed.
Date: · January 5–12, [2027]
Where: Coutonou, Benin, Africa
"When the music changes, so does the dance." — West African proverb
To open the gate is to let something through. And what comes through is the memory of who you are.
There is a way of being in Vodoun tradition that holds every river, every tree, every ancestor, and every unborn generation as a relative with standing, as law. As living relationship.
Appolinaire Oussou Lio has spent his life walking this into the world, securing the first Sacred Forests Law in Africa, reviving ancestral seed traditions, and returning his own community to the roots that never left. He carries the thread between Earth Jurisprudence and Vodoun as a single knowing that was never divided.
To enter this space is to remember that the Earth has always had its own intelligence. That the forest has always had its own rights. That you have always been in relationship with something larger than your own story — whether you knew it or not.
We will be present for the Fête du Vaudou in Ouidah on January 10th, where practitioners from across the continent gather to renew the covenant. To be there is to be part of the renewal.
Meet Your Guide
In this immersion, you will be guided by Prince Appolinaire Oussou Lio, steeped in the wisdom of the Tolinou People and lineage. He will lead you through a transformative sacred and ceremonial journey, including cultural dialogue and workshops, learning of the Tolinou culture and stories of healing.
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Prince of the Tolinou people
Appolinaire OUSSOU LIO is a founding member of the African Earth Jurisprudence Collective and President of GRABE-BENIN. Appolinaire founded GRABE with a broad focus on reviving the Voudon tradition of the region and connecting young people with Nature, and in 2012 he helped to secure the first Sacred Forests Law in Africa. From 2014-2017 Appolinaire trained to become an Earth Jurisprudence practitioner with The Gaia Foundation, during which time he began to work directly with custodians of sacred natural sites and to reconnect with his own community, going back to roots. He has since been working with communities to gain legal recognition of sacred forests in Benin, West Africa and on reviving traditional seed diversity and medicines.
Application Timeline
Early Bird
If you sign up by May 31, 2026 you will receive the early bird discounted rate of $1500.
General Registration
If you sign up from June 1 or after, general registration is available at the full rate of $1,800.
Life-line for Applications
The deadline (or lifeline, as we like to call it) for applications is October 1, 2026, end of day Hawai‘i Standard Time (HST).
Reciprocity: Samati Xobo
An Ancestral Shipibo Healing and Education Center run by Onanya Maestra Lila Lopez Sanchez and Onanya Maestro Damian Pacaya. Tucked away in the lush Amazon Rainforest of Iquitos, Peru, Samati Xobo opened its doors with the core intention to welcome worldwide seekers of healing and transformation, as well as devoted students of the Plants. With a diverse approach to offering their Traditional Healing work, Samati Xobo coordinates Master Plant Dietas and Cultural Immersions. Samati Xobo
Some of our activities
One plant/flower bath before healing ceremonies
Shipibo art market
Icaro technology workshop
Two traditional Shipibo healing ceremonies
Mapacho workshop
Two-Eyed Seeing Workshop
Post-ceremonies expression/sharing circle
Pre-immersion and post-immersion integration calls
Learning about Samati Xobo’s vision and intention
Optional: Lomi massage
Optional: Private 1:1 healings
Supporting team
Ryan James Kemp
Samson Odusanya