Along Benin’s coast, Vodun, a spiritual tradition originating in West Africa, plays a role in how some communities protect mangrove ecosystems. In some communities, spiritual rules associated with the Zangbéto, a Vodun deity associated with the surveillance and protection of territories, prohibit cutting mangrove wood. According to people interviewed by Mongabay, these practices have contributed to preserving more than 500 hectares (1,200 acres) of mangroves over the past decade.
In 2026, Mongabay Africa explored this relationship between spirituality and conservation in the documentary “Vodun’s sacred role in saving West Africa’s mangroves,” produced by Mongabay audio and video producer Jahëna Louisin, fellowship and multimedia editor Juliette Chapalain, and contributors Cynthia Hégron and Leslie Cauquais.
The documentary takes viewers from Cotonou, Benin’s economic capital, to Dado, a village and center of Vodun devotion in the heart of the mangroves, to examine how Vodun beliefs and traditional governance can contribute to environmental protection. The team interviewed a Vodun Queen Mother, a Fâ priest, initiates, environmental activists and representatives of Benin’s civil authorities, while gaining access to ceremonies and places rarely open to outsiders.
The reporting also sought to challenge common misconceptions about Vodun by documenting it as a living spiritual tradition closely connected to nature. For Louisin, the documentary offered an opportunity to show that environmental protection can be rooted not only in science and public policy, but also in beliefs, traditions and spiritual practices.
Event details
In July 2026, Mongabay Afrique announced that the documentary had been selected for the 2026 All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF), an international festival dedicated to environmental cinema. The festival is scheduled to take place in India from Dec. 3-13, 2026. Information on how to participate in the festival, including streaming from wherever you are, is available at https://www.alteff.in/.
The selection committee considered nearly 500 films from more than 80 countries in forming the festival’s official selection. The recognition gives the documentary another platform through which its portrayal of Beninese conservation practices and the people maintaining them can reach audiences beyond Mongabay’s existing readership.
“The documentary first addresses a universal subject: our relationship with nature,” Louisin said. “But what makes it unique is that it shows that environmental protection does not only come through science or public policy, but also through beliefs, traditions and spiritual practices.”
The selection also provides external recognition for Mongabay Afrique’s investment in immersive, long-form visual journalism. According to Chapalain, it is the second consecutive year that one of the bureau’s productions has been recognized in ALT EFF’s selection process.
“This reinforces our editorial and visual strategy of producing long-form magazine reports on behind-the-scenes subjects in environments that are sometimes difficult to access,” Chapalain said.
By bringing a locally rooted conservation story to an international environmental film audience, the ALT EFF recognition extends the reach of Mongabay Afrique’s reporting and the perspectives represented in it. It also highlights the potential of environmental journalism to document approaches to conservation grounded in culture, spirituality and traditional knowledge that may otherwise receive limited international attention.
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Banner image: Collage, Jahëna Louisin, Mongabay reporter, and a Vodun ceremony.