When Benin secured the return of 26 royal treasures from Abomey in 2021, it was widely seen as a diplomatic breakthrough. Yet the machinery behind that success never stopped running. President Romuald Wadagni has now formally asked his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to hand back 35 additional cultural objects and historical documents still held in France. The request is not a random gesture: it is the product of a carefully built restitution apparatus that has been quietly expanding for years, blending memory politics, cultural sovereignty and a long-term tourism agenda.
What really drives Cotonou’s latest claim
The restitution of African cultural property held in Europe has become a permanent feature of relations between Benin and France. By lodging a fresh request for 35 cultural objects and historical documents, Cotonou is not starting from scratch. It is extending a process begun years ago, aimed at recovering pieces removed during the colonial era.
The move championed by President Wadagni carries more than symbolic weight. It forms part of a broader policy designed to let Benin repossess significant chapters of its own history and make them accessible to its people. Among the items sought are objects tied to the former kingdoms of Benin, their rulers and their traditions. Their return would enrich national collections and add depth to the historical narrative presented in Beninese museums.
For the authorities in Cotonou, restitution is therefore both a matter of memory and a question of sovereignty. For decades, a substantial part of Benin’s material history was kept outside the African continent. The country now wants to reverse that pattern.
Building on the path opened by Patrice Talon
Wadagni is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Patrice Talon, who turned cultural restitution into a cornerstone of Beninese diplomacy. The defining moment of that policy came in November 2021, when 26 works from the royal treasury of Abomey were officially returned by France.
Those objects, including thrones, statues, sceptres and other emblematic pieces of the Kingdom of Dahomey, had been seized by French troops during the conquest of the kingdom in 1892. Their homecoming stirred deep emotion across Benin. For many citizens, it was not simply the return of ancient artefacts but the recovery of a piece of their own story.
That first restitution also resonated far beyond Benin’s borders. It helped position the country as one of Africa’s most active voices in the debate over African heritage held in Western collections. With this new request for 35 items, Cotonou intends to keep that momentum alive and widen the movement.
The museum infrastructure being prepared to receive them
Recovering the works is only the first step. Benin also needs facilities capable of receiving, preserving and showcasing them. That is precisely one of the pillars of the country’s cultural policy, and the government has invested heavily in building and modernising museum infrastructure.
In Abomey, the Museum of the Epic of the Amazons and the Kings of Danxomè is designed to tell the story of the Kingdom of Dahomey and display part of its heritage. In Porto-Novo, the International Vodun Museum project aims to shed light on a religious and cultural tradition often reduced abroad to clichés. In Ouidah, projects dedicated to the memory of slavery are expected to strengthen the historic city’s place in the country’s cultural and tourism landscape.
The strategy is clear: returned objects should not simply sit behind glass. They must be accompanied by scientific, educational and historical work that helps visitors understand where they came from, what they mean and the circumstances under which they left Benin.
Turning heritage into an economic driver
This heritage policy also answers an economic ambition. Benin wants culture and tourism to contribute more to national growth. The restitution of works therefore fits into a wider plan 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 genuine tourist circuit linking these sites.
A visitor could discover the royal palaces of Abomey, continue to the museums of Porto-Novo, explore 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 grow. Heritage then becomes far more than a conservation matter: it can become an economic sector generating jobs and income.
The conservation and transmission challenge
Restitution nonetheless raises another problem: conservation. Ancient objects require specific conditions of temperature, humidity, security and restoration. Their return must therefore be matched by appropriate skills and resources.
Benin will also need to keep training curators, historians, restorers and heritage specialists to guarantee that these assets are passed on to future generations. The goal should not be simply 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 explain pre-colonial kingdoms, African societies, resistance to colonial conquest and the political and cultural transformations that shaped Benin’s history.
A cultural battle that goes beyond borders
The request for 35 new cultural objects sent to France also illustrates how the balance of power around African heritage is shifting. For a long time, major European museums concentrated a considerable share of objects originating from the African continent. Today, several African states want to regain control of their heritage and build institutions on their own soil capable of conserving and presenting it.
Benin intends to play a leading role in that movement. After the 26 royal treasures returned in 2021 under Patrice Talon, the 35 new items claimed by Romuald Wadagni mark another stage. The process could still be lengthy, since each object requires identification, documentation and negotiation. But the message from Cotonou is now clear: Beninese heritage should gradually find its place back in Benin.
Recovering the past to build the future
The battle for restitution goes well beyond the question of ancient objects. It touches on identity, memory and a country’s ability to tell its own story.
For Benin, the task now is to turn every restitution into an opportunity. A work that returns must be studied, preserved, 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 items claimed from France could become another piece of a vast undertaking: recover heritage, build museums, develop tourism and turn memory into a resource for the future. Having secured the return of the Abomey treasures, Benin now wants to go further. The heritage fight 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 serving future generations.