The GIZ sector project Religion and Sustainable Development and the Secretariat of the Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade, currently hosted by GIZ, cordially invite you to the upcoming virtual exchange on March 12th, 2026.
In Benin, voodoo is one of the state religions deeply rooted in the country’s history and culture – the priests and priestesses of the different vodoun orders are highly respected personalities within society and often enjoy the community’s trust. Voodoo practices sometimes involve wildlife products and – from a ‘Western’ scientific perspective – high risk practices in the context of pathogen spillover from wildlife to humans.
The Government Consultation Facility – CONTACT – by the International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade in Beninlinked experts from social and biomedical sciences who conducted an interdisciplinary research project. The project offered an extraordinary chance to connect the empiric evidence from the priestesses and priests regarding health issues in relation to religious practices and the biomedical findings of the study conducted. The exchange resulted in discussions with the religious community leaders around culturally sensitive behavioural changes in relation to voodoo practices that may notably reduce the risk of disease emergence.
The International Alliance is an intersectoral and interdisciplinary network where organisations and individual experts join forces to better understand and reduce the threat of pathogen spillover at the human-wildlife contact Founded in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Alliance is grounded in the strong conviction, that the health of humans, animals and their shared environment are deeply interconnected – therefore implementing an One Health approach through all its activities with the aim of preventing potential next pandemics at the source.
In this session, we will explore the opportunities and challenges from cooperation with religious actors and will discuss how inclusive dialogue and collaborative partnerships with religious actors can foster health. We are looking forward to a lively discussion!
Speakers include:
- Dr. Anges Yadouleton is Head of National Reference Laboratory for Haemorrhagic Fevers, Cotonou, Benin. Dr. Yadouleton’s academic research is focused on entomology and especially on vectors for haemorrhagic fevers. His specialist knowledge of virological fever diseases, cultural expertise and contacts within the religious community of voodoo priestesses were indispensable to the CONTACT mission and enabled it to have such a significant impact.
- Prof. Felix Drexler is Head of the Virus Epidemiology laboratory and an Associate Professor at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Following medical education in Germany and Brazil, he worked as a staff scientist and professor in Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands. His group focuses on the evolution and epidemiology of emerging viruses at the animal-human interface.
- Prof. Dr. Ulrike Beisel is Professor at the Freie Universität Berlin for Human Geography and Geographies of global inequalities. Her academic research is anchored in the fields of Environmental Justice, Planetary Health and NatureCultures and guided by the question of how we can coexist with organisms and substances that are harmful to human health. During the CONTACT mission Prof. Beisel and her team focused specifically on investigating the livelihoods of (female) hunters and other actors along the wildlife and bushmeat trade chain.
- Dr. Michael Nagel is Head of the GIZ-hosted Secretariat of the International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade. Dr. Nagel is a Clinical Microbiologist and has worked for many years as a laboratory director in various African countries and has combated outbreaks as the head of various task forces. He was also involved in setting up the Laboratory for Haemorrhagic Fevers in Cotonou, Benin.
Moderator: Irene Dulz, advisor at GIZ Sector Project Religion and Sustainable Development
This session is a cooperation between the GIZ-wide Community of Practice Religion Matters! initiated by the sector project Religion for sustainable development (G-420) and the Secretariat of the Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade, currently hosted by GIZ.
Don’t miss this chance to learn, discuss, and collaborate on intersectoral cooperative research and the role of religious leaders in the implementation of behavioral change approaches! Looking forward to seeing you there!
Your Religion Matters! and Alliance Secretariat Team