“Dahomey”, the documentary that tells the story of Benin’s journey to recover its cultural treasures

A History of Brittany or a PUF on the right in France: the few second-hand books on sale near the University of Abomey-Calavi in ​​Cotonou sum it all up. In Benin, students learn as much about the West as about the history of their own country. “For our educational system, Plato, that is genius!” exclaims a student, in front of the cameras of documentary filmmaker Mati Diop.

How can Beninese youth, partly brought up on Disney, build a heritage culture for themselves, knowing that a good part of their heritage is preserved in Europe? By following the peregrinations of the 26 Beninese works returned by France to Benin in 2021, Mati Diop provides an element of an answer.

Treasures return to their homeland

Dahomey starts at the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, where these ancient royal treasures of Dahomey were stored, after being stolen by colonial troops in 1892. We then follow the arrival of the wooden crates in Benin, their reception with great pomp…