Royal panegyric · transcript in progress
Panegyric of the Gbaguidi — Gbetɔví Yalinù
–:––
Room VII · 7 of 7 on the tour
Voices of Savalou
A museum that speaks. The last room of the tour and the most precious: the voices of the elders, dignitaries and inhabitants, recorded in Mahi and Fon with their consent, transcribed and then subtitled in French and English. The most urgent heritage to safeguard.
Centrepiece
The audio library
The recorded voices, with their transcripts. The collection grows as the field campaign unfolds.
Tale · Mahi · to be recorded
The ruse of Tchébélou
Song · yam festival · to be recorded
Songs of the first fruits
Testimony · royal court · to be recorded
Memories of the palace
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.
A fading memory
The transmission of Savalou's heritage rests essentially on orality: royal and ritual objects are little inventoried, and many keepers of memory — dignitaries, traditional chiefs, elders — are advancing in age. Every year that passes without systematic documentation is an irreversible loss. This room is the museum's answer: record, transcribe, translate, preserve.
Consent first
Tales, songs, proverbs, founding narratives, yam-related know-how, Fa rites, enthronement ceremonies: these contents are collected from the keepers of tradition with their documented consent, in Mahi and Fon, then transcribed and translated into French and English. They are the most singular and most urgent value of the project.
The collection
The works in this room
A collection in the making: each label shows the status of its piece — collection, research, or review by the royal court and the town hall.
To be recorded
01 · Tale · Mahi
The ruse of Tchébélou
The founding story in the storytellers' own words: how cunning and friendship prevailed over the buffalo's strength.
Storytellers of Savalou
Mahi audio · transcript · FR/EN translation
To be recorded
02 · Song · yam festival
Songs of the first fruits
The songs that accompany the new yam, captured during the 15 August festival, with their lyrics and ritual context.
Yam festival
Audio · transcribed lyrics · notice FR/EN
Awaiting approval
03 · Testimony · royal court
Memories of the palace
Dignitaries and elders of the court recount the palace, the reigns and the ceremonies of which they are the last direct witnesses.
Royal court
Fon audio · transcript · FR/EN translation
To be recorded
04 · Language · intangible heritage
Mahi proverbs and language
Proverbs, riddles and turns of phrase of the Mahi language, collected from the keepers of tradition — a sound library in the making.
Mahi speakers of Savalou
Mahi audio · transcripts · FR/EN translations