Dahomey

Dahomey is a 2024 documentary film directed by Mati Diop. The work is about return of 26 of the royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey to Benin. The documentary film by Mati Diop blends facts and fiction to narrate the stories of the African artworks that were looted.

It tells the story of 26 royal artifacts from the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600–1904), that were taken back to Benin from France. They had been plundered during the colonial era and displayed in the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, a Parisian museum of non-European art. Among the returned works were statues of Dahomey's former kings, King Glélé and King Béhanzin, who had great symbolic value. Their throne, which was seized by French soldiers in 1892, was also given back. The art pieces are now shown in a special museum in Abomey, the old royal city, which is about 65 miles away from the coast of the Gulf of Guinea.

The film also presents a discussion by students at the University of Abomey-Calavi about what they think of the repatriation of cultural assets. Some criticize the fact that only 26 of a total of around 7,000 objects were returned. It reminds them of what was lost during colonization, such as languages, traditions and part of their history. They also feel that the return may be solely politically motivated.