A devotee dances at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. The national voodoo holiday in the West African country of Benin had a distinctively political accent this year as practitioners from Africa and the Americas gathered on Sunday to offer prayers and sacrifices for peace. Hundreds of followers of the traditional religion gathered in the Atlantic coast town of Ouidah, once an important port in the slave trade, to pray for calm during the tiny country's presidential election scheduled for February. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





Devotees attend the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





Devotees attend the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





A devotee dances at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





People watch a masquerade dance at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





A devotee is cheered as he dances at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





Front view of the main market is seen in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





People watch a masquerade dance at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





A man rides a motorcycle with a basket at the back through a street in the rustic town of Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





People watch as traditional drummers perform at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





A devotee is guided as he dances on a stage at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





Devotees attend the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





Voodoo chief priest Dagbo (C) walks with other devotees during a traditional street procession at the beginning of the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)





Devotees kill a goat as a sacrifice at a shrine at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah January 10, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)