Scarification in Benin: what the research says, and what it does not

Scarification, the making of lasting marks on the skin by cutting, is often explained in one line: "it shows which group you belong to". The published research is more careful. This page reports what three studies say, and says what we do not know.

What the research documents

A review across sub-Saharan Africa. A 2017 article in Tropical Medicine & International Health by Roland Garve and colleagues, titled "Scarification in sub-Saharan Africa: social skin, remedy and medical import", treats scarification as a social practice, as a remedy and as an object of medical interest. Its title already shows that one practice carries several functions.

The Fon and the Ewe. A 2020 master's thesis at the University of Vienna, by Degla Komi Fahin, studies scarification practices among the Fon and Ewe peoples of Togo and compares therapeutic scarification with the Catholic sacrament of the anointing of the sick. It includes sections on scarification in Africa and on therapeutic uses among the Fon.

Yoruba facial marks. An article in Anthropological Linguistics (2011) analyses Yoruba facial scarification. It shows that the attested patterns rest on Yoruba number symbolism, and recalls that such marks have long been recognised as marks identifying a clan.

What we cannot say

These studies are about Togo, Nigeria and the continent as a whole. We found no published study we could read on scarification in Ouidah or elsewhere in Benin, and we do not generalise from other places. So we give no meanings of specific patterns, no list of groups and their marks, no figures on how common the practice is, and no account of "modern reappropriation". Those points are À VÉRIFIER against scholarly sources.

If you meet the practice as a visitor

Ask before photographing anyone, as for any personal or religious matter: see our page on ethical photography. Do not assume the meaning of marks you see, and ask the person if they wish to tell you. Any cutting of the skin carries a risk of infection: for health questions, see a professional. See also our page on Vodun and health.

Sources

• Roland Garve and others, "Scarification in sub-Saharan Africa: social skin, remedy and medical import", Tropical Medicine & International Health, 2017.
• Degla Komi Fahin, "Pratiques scarificatoires chez les peuples Fon et Ewe du Togo", master's thesis, University of Vienna, 2020.
• "Yoruba facial scarification", Anthropological Linguistics, 2011.

Last verified on 10 November 2026. If you spot a mistake, tell us.