Room V · 5 of 7 on the tour

The Yam, Queen of Savalou

Every 15 August, the new yam enters the town: the festival of first fruits marks the end of the lean season and allows the new harvest to be eaten. Royal rites, vodun ceremonies and popular celebrations — the 2024 edition drew more than 15,000 visitors. This room celebrates the queen of crops and those who grow her.

Room texts

What you should know

Provisional texts based on the project presentation document (v3.2) — awaiting approval by the royal court and the town hall of Savalou.

The festival of first fruits

Every 15 August, Savalou becomes the epicentre of the yam festival, or "festival of first fruits", which marks the end of the lean season and allows the new yam to be eaten. Rooted in the ancestral practices of the Mahi, Idaatcha, Nago, Ifè and Fon peoples, it combines royal rites, vodun ceremonies, pounded yam with peanut sauce and popular celebrations. Now a national tourist attraction, its 2024 edition drew more than 15,000 visitors.

Capital of the yam

A deeply agricultural land, Savalou grows maize and cashew, but it is the yam that made its name: the commune is nicknamed the "capital of the yam", and its market, held midweek, is one of the largest in Benin. At its table: pounded yam with peanut sauce, tchapalo, and gari sohoui — a fine, roasted gari, the commune's emblematic artisanal product.

The works

What this room will present

The pieces are being collected, researched or reviewed by the royal court and the town hall — each label below awaits its work.

To be collected

01 · Festival of first fruits

The 15 August festival

Rooted in the practices of the Mahi, Idaatcha, Nago, Ifè and Fon peoples, it combines royal rites, vodun ceremonies, pounded yam and popular joy. The museum's launch is planned for that very day.

Savalou

Photo reportage · audio recordings · notice FR/EN

To be collected

02 · Living place

The yam market

Midweek, yams from all over the Collines country converge on Savalou. Portrait of a market that is also an institution.

Savalou

HD photographs · ambient sound · notice FR/EN

To be collected

03 · Know-how

Gari sohoui

A fine, roasted gari, the commune's emblematic artisanal product and Savalou's pride. From the cassava field to the bag, a know-how to document gesture by gesture.

Workshops of Savalou

Photo reportage · notice FR/EN · Mahi audio

To be collected

04 · Savalou's table

Pounded yam and tchapalo

Pounded yam with peanut sauce and tchapalo make up the fare of feast days. Recipes, gestures and the words of the cooks.

Households of Savalou

Photographs · recipes FR/EN · audio testimonies