In the southern Togolese town of Glidji-Kpodji (near the city of Aneho), hundreds of Voodoo priests and priestesses gathered this week for the 363rd edition of the Ekpessosso festival, a centuries-old ceremony in which a sacred stone is retrieved from a sacred wood and its colour interpreted as an omen for the year ahead. This year's stone emerged white — signifying peace and prosperity — to the relief of the assembled crowd, who chanted and danced in celebration. The annual Epe-Ekpe ritual, which dates to 1663 and was established by settlers from the former Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana), holds particular significance in Togo, where Voodoo is practised by more than half the population — outnumbering Christians and Muslims combined.