Au Bénin, le juste retour des choses / In Benin, the just return of things

[ in French ] It was in 2021, after 129 years of plunder by France, that the royal treasure of Abomey was returned to Benin. The restitution of this piece of history is part of a campaign launched by Benin in 2016 to make its heritage the cornerstone of its cultural influence.

With:

  • Saskia Cousin, anthropologist, sociologist, and professor at Paris Nanterre University;
  • Didier Houénoudé, professor of art history at the University of Abomey-Calavi and member of the preparatory committee for the contemporary art museum project;
  • Massamba Guéye, lecturer and researcher at Cheikh Anta Diop University, storyteller, writer, producer, founder and director of the House of Oral Tradition and Heritage, Kër Leyti, and national heritage representative for the 2003 UNESCO Convention.

 

Cérémonie pour la restitution de 26 œuvres des trésors royaux d'Abomey a la République du Benin. ©Maxppp - Sébastien Muylaert

©Maxppp – Sébastien Muylaert