In Fongbe, the language of the Fon people of Benin Republic, the Bokonon is an exceptional diviner, who after several years of arduous and sustained training is initiated to the Fá rituals and language. In Africa, particularly in the Republic of [Page 132]Benin, the belief in divine ancestors or divinities and the consultation of the Bokonon have remained active and strong. The Bokonon is all the more revered today, although some bamboozled proselytes are in denial of the important role of a Bokonon in modern societies.

The Bokonon is a noble practitioner of the Fá divination. In the Fon Cosmology, the Fá (IFá in Yoruba) is the Messenger of Mawu-Lisa, the Supreme God, and the spokesterson of all deities. Consisting of 256 signs, of which 16 ...