Benin has formally requested that France hand back 35 additional cultural objects and historical documents. The demand was made directly to French president Emmanuel Macron by Benin’s president, Romuald Wadagni. It marks a further step in a restitution process that combines memory, cultural sovereignty and tourism ambitions.
A fresh restitution request to Paris
The return of African cultural objects held in Europe has become a lasting feature of relations between Benin and France. With this new request for 35 cultural objects and historical documents, Cotonou is pushing forward a process begun several years ago. Many of these items were taken during the colonial period.
The move by President Romuald Wadagni is more than a symbolic claim. It forms part of a broader policy aimed at allowing Benin to regain important pieces of its history and make them accessible to its people.
Among the items requested are objects linked to the former kingdoms of Benin, their rulers and their traditions. Their return would help complete national collections and give greater depth to the historical narrative presented in Beninese museums.
For the authorities in Cotonou, restitution is a matter of memory as well as sovereignty. For decades, a significant part of Benin’s material history was kept outside the African continent. The country now wants to reverse that trend.
Continuing Patrice Talon’s restitution drive
Romuald Wadagni is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Patrice Talon, who made the return of cultural objects a priority of Beninese diplomacy.
The most striking moment of that policy was the return, in November 2021, of 26 works from the royal treasury of Abomey after their official restitution by France.
These objects, including thrones, statues, recades and other emblematic pieces of the kingdom of Dahomey, had been taken by French troops during the conquest of the kingdom in 1892.
Their return to Benin sparked immense emotion across the country. For many Beninese, it was not simply the return of ancient objects but the recovery of a part of their history.
That first restitution also had an international impact. It helped make Benin one of the African countries most committed to the debate on the return of African heritage held in Western collections.
With the new request for 35 objects, Cotonou intends to keep up that momentum and widen the movement.
Museums to house the recovered treasures
Recovering the works is only the first step. The country also needs infrastructure capable of receiving, conserving and showcasing them.
This is one of the main pillars of Benin’s cultural policy. The government has invested heavily in building and modernising museum facilities.
In Abomey, the Museum of the Epic of the Amazons and the Kings of Danxomè is intended to tell the story of the kingdom of Dahomey and present part of its heritage to the public.
In Porto-Novo, the International Vodun Museum project aims to highlight a religious and cultural tradition often reduced abroad to stereotypes. In Ouidah, projects dedicated to the memory of slavery are also meant to strengthen the place of this historic city in the country’s cultural and tourism landscape.
The strategy is clear: returned objects should not simply be placed behind glass. They must be accompanied by scientific, educational and historical work that allows visitors to understand their origin, their meaning and the circumstances in which they left Benin.
Turning heritage into a tourism driver
This heritage policy also responds to an economic ambition.
Benin wants culture and tourism to contribute more to the country’s growth. The return of the works is therefore part of a wider strategy to turn historic sites, traditions and museums into genuine tourist attractions.
Abomey and its royal palaces, Ouidah and its history linked to the slave trade, Porto-Novo and its architectural heritage, Vodun traditions and the cultures of the former kingdoms are all assets.
The challenge now is to create a real tourist circuit around these different sites.
A visitor could discover the royal palaces of Abomey, continue to the museums of Porto-Novo, learn about the history of Ouidah and take part in cultural events such as the Vodun Days. Around these activities, hotels, restaurants, crafts, transport, guide services and a whole local economy can develop.
Heritage then becomes much more than a matter of conservation: it can become an economic sector creating jobs and income.
The challenge of conservation and transmission
Restitution nevertheless raises another challenge: conservation.
Ancient objects require particular conditions of temperature, humidity, security and restoration. Their return must therefore be accompanied by appropriate skills and resources.
Benin will also need to keep training curators, historians, restorers and heritage specialists to guarantee the transmission of these items to future generations.
The goal should not be only to recover objects. Young generations must also be able to make them their own.
In schools, universities and museums, these works can become teaching and research materials. They can help better understand pre-colonial kingdoms, African societies, resistance to colonial conquest and the political and cultural transformations that have marked Benin’s history.
A cultural battle that goes beyond borders
The request for 35 new cultural objects sent to France illustrates the shifting balance of power over African heritage.
For a long time, major European museums held a considerable share of objects from the African continent. Today, several African states want to regain control of their heritage and build institutions on their own territory capable of conserving and presenting it.
Benin intends to play a leading role in this movement.
After the 26 royal treasures returned in 2021 under Patrice Talon, the 35 new objects requested by Romuald Wadagni represent a new stage. The process could still be long, as each object requires identification, documentation and negotiation.
But the message from Cotonou is now clear: Benin’s heritage must gradually return to Benin.
Recovering the past to build the future
The battle for restitution goes beyond the question of ancient objects. It touches on identity, memory and a country’s ability to tell its own story.
For Benin, the challenge is now to turn each restitution into an opportunity. A returning work must be studied, conserved, exhibited and explained. A museum that opens its doors must attract both Beninese citizens and foreign visitors. A historic site must benefit the communities living nearby.
Only then will restitution take on its full meaning.
The 35 new objects requested from France could become another piece of a vast project: recover heritage, build museums, develop tourism and turn memory into a resource for the future.
After securing the return of the Abomey treasures, Benin now wants to go further. The heritage battle is changing scale. And behind the negotiations between Cotonou and Paris lies a broader ambition: to make Beninese heritage not only a legacy to preserve but also a cultural, educational and economic force for future generations.