Devotees to Koku Rolling on Cactus, Ouidah, Benin
Devotees of Meko Koku, the god of war, absorb his spirit into their bodies. When in this altered state, they claim to be able to perform superhuman feats. A man rolls over a prickly cactus until it is embedded in his back. He feels no pain and his back is unharmed due to the highly protective power of the Koku deity.