Benin is demanding 35 additional colonial works and archives from France

Five years after the return of 26 objects from the royal treasures of Dahomey, Benin has submitted a new restitution request to Paris for 35 colonial works and archives. This action is based on a French framework law that came into effect in May, designed to facilitate such transfers.

Benin does not intend to stop at the initial restitutions obtained. The country is now demanding 35 new items from France: works of art and archives from the colonial period, including the Vodun Gou sculpture.

This request comes five years after a first strong symbolic gesture: in 2021, France returned 26 objects belonging to the royal treasures of Dahomey, looted in the 19th century during the French colonial conquest. This return was hailed at the time as a turning point in cultural relations between Paris and Cotonou.

Benin's new request is based on a recent legal framework. A French framework law facilitating the restitution of cultural property to its countries of origin came into force last May, paving the way for simplified procedures for requesting states.

The question of African heritage held in European museums remains one of the most sensitive issues in postcolonial relations. Benin, which has been working for several years to inventory its dispersed property, intends to continue this recovery process beyond the 26 objects already returned to the country.