Add to ORKGThe topic reports from investigations in South Benin and Senegal, and from literature, one of the common believes in Western Africa: the Born-to-die-children, i.e. abiku in both Fon and Yoruba languages. Born-to-die-children are children born after the death of several children from the same mother. These children are said to be born not to stay among living people but for mysterious reasons including making their parents suffer. While describing rituals and practices which take place beside this belief in order to exorcise the children death and unhappiness, the author wonders about the history of these believes which may be connected to universal mythology but transformed by environmental and biological factors in sub-Saharan Africa.L'art...