When Benin secured the return of 26 royal treasures from Abomey in 2021, it was celebrated as a turning point. Now, President Romuald Wadagni has formally asked his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to hand back 35 additional cultural objects and historical documents still held in France. The move has reignited public debate in both countries, raising questions about memory, cultural sovereignty and the practical consequences for tourism and national identity.
A fresh push to reclaim what was taken
The restitution of African cultural property held in Europe has become a permanent feature of relations between Benin and France. With this new request for 35 items, Cotonou is building on a process that has been underway for several years, aiming to recover pieces that were removed during the colonial era.
The initiative led by President Romuald Wadagni is not merely symbolic. It forms part of a broader policy designed to allow Benin to regain significant portions of its history and make them accessible to its people.
Among the objects being claimed are pieces linked to the ancient kingdoms of Benin, their rulers and their traditions. Their return would help complete national collections and add depth to the historical narrative presented in Beninese museums.
For the authorities in Cotonou, restitution is both a matter of memory and of sovereignty. For decades, a large part of Benin’s material history has been kept outside the African continent. The country now wants to reverse that trend.
Building on Patrice Talon’s legacy
Romuald Wadagni is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Patrice Talon, who made the return of cultural property a priority of Beninese diplomacy.
The high point of that policy came in November 2021, when 26 works from the royal treasury of Abomey were officially returned by France.
These objects – including thrones, statues, scepters and other emblematic pieces from the Kingdom of Dahomey – had been seized by French troops during the conquest of the kingdom in 1892.
Their homecoming stirred deep emotions across Benin. For many citizens, it was not simply the return of ancient artifacts but the recovery of a piece of their own story.
That first restitution also had international resonance. It helped position Benin as one of the African nations most actively engaged in the debate over African heritage held in Western collections.
With the new request for 35 items, Cotonou aims to sustain that momentum and widen the movement.
Museums ready to receive the returned treasures
Recovering the works is only the first step. The country also needs facilities capable of housing, preserving and showcasing them.
This is one of the central pillars of Benin’s cultural policy. The government has invested heavily in building and modernizing museum infrastructure.
In Abomey, the Museum of the Epic of the Amazons and the Kings of Danxomè is intended to narrate the history of the Kingdom of Dahomey and display part of its heritage to the public.
In Porto-Novo, the International Vodun Museum project aims to shed light on a religious and cultural tradition that is often reduced to stereotypes abroad. In Ouidah, projects dedicated to the memory of slavery are also meant to strengthen the 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 allows visitors to understand their origin, meaning and the circumstances under 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 national growth. The return of the works is therefore part of a wider strategy to transform 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 ancient 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, 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 develop.
Heritage then becomes much more than a matter of conservation: it can become an economic sector creating jobs and income.
The challenge of preservation and transmission
Restitution, however, raises another challenge: conservation.
Ancient objects require specific conditions of temperature, humidity, security and restoration. Their return must therefore be accompanied by appropriate skills and resources.
Benin will also need to continue training curators, historians, restorers and heritage specialists to ensure these items are passed on to future generations.
The goal should not be merely to recover the objects. It must also enable younger generations to make them their own.
In schools, universities and museums, these works can become teaching and research tools. They can help deepen understanding of precolonial kingdoms, African societies, resistance to colonial conquest and the political and cultural transformations that have shaped Benin’s history.
A cultural battle that crosses borders
The request for 35 additional cultural objects from France also illustrates how the balance of power around African heritage is shifting.
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 soil capable of preserving 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 items claimed by Romuald Wadagni mark a further step. The process could still be lengthy, as each object requires identification, documentation and negotiation.
But the message from Cotonou is now clear: Beninese heritage must gradually find its place back in Benin.
Reclaiming 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 now is to turn each restitution into an opportunity. A returned work 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 thus become another piece of a vast project: 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 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 serving future generations.
