Lieux de mémoire et de pouvoir chez les Oman-Jagou en pays Idaatcha : Ègbakokou et Yaka, symboles de la dualité du pouvoir local.

Abstract

In the heart of Dassa-Zoumè, the capital of the department "des Collines", in north central Benin, two places symbolize the ever-renewed vitality of the collective memory of a kingdom whose origins date back to the 16th century, Adjiba (2006). Indeed, Places of Memory are crucibles for anchoring memory, but of a generally collective memory. Their vitality is often the subject of periodic maintenance so that the memory which constitutes their vital essence does not fade. In Benin's urban or rural communities, the celebration of community memory through places dedicated to this effect is quite common. This article proposes however to present the very interesting cases of Ègbakokou and Yaka, two places which represented the dual roots of royal power in Idaatcha land. Their symbolism rhymes with memory and power. Rooted deeply in the structural organization of the kingdom of Igbo Idaatcha, these two places constitute among the Oman-Jagou, two other sides of the same reality: the expression and the manifestation of power. If the Jagou (king) reigns over Igbo Idaatcha and sits in Egbakokou, the Obaloké, the spiritual leader and the first religious authority of the kingdom sits in Yaka.