Why Cotonou is scaling up its restitution strategy
When Benin secured the return of 26 royal treasures from France in 2021, it looked like a one-off victory. Three years later, the machinery behind that success is running at full speed. 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Wadagni has now formally asked his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to hand back 35 additional cultural objects and historical documents still held in France. But the real story is not the number. It is the quiet architecture of memory, sovereignty and economic ambition that Cotonou has built around each request.
A diplomatic push rooted in a longer fight
The restitution of African heritage kept in Europe has become a permanent feature of Benin–France relations. With this latest list, Cotonou is not starting from scratch. It is deepening a process that began years ago, aimed at recovering pieces taken during the colonial period. The items requested include objects tied to the former kingdoms of Benin, their rulers and their traditions. Their return would fill gaps in national collections and give more depth to the historical narrative presented in Beninese museums.
For the authorities in Cotonou, this is not just about symbolism. Restitution is treated as a matter of memory and sovereignty. For decades, a significant part of Benin’s material history was kept outside Africa. The country now wants to reverse that dynamic.
The Talon legacy and the momentum it created
Wadagni is walking a path already paved by his predecessor, Patrice Talon, who made restitution a cornerstone of Beninese diplomacy. The high point came in November 2021, when 26 works from the royal treasury of Abomey were officially returned by France. These objects — thrones, statues, recades 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 triggered an emotional response across Benin. For many citizens, it was not simply the return of old objects but the recovery of a piece of their own history. The move also had international resonance, helping position Benin as one of Africa’s most committed voices in the debate over African heritage held in Western collections. With the new request for 35 items, Cotonou is clearly aiming to widen that movement.
Museums as the next battlefield
Getting the objects back is only the first step. The harder task is creating the infrastructure to receive, conserve and display them. This is where Benin’s cultural policy has been quietly intense. 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 designed to tell the story of the Kingdom of Dahomey and showcase 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 stereotypes. In Ouidah, projects dedicated to the memory of slavery are 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 helps visitors understand their origin, meaning and the circumstances under which they left Benin.
Turning heritage into an economic engine
This heritage policy also responds to an economic ambition. Benin wants culture and tourism to contribute more to national growth. Restitution therefore fits into a broader plan to transform historical 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 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 more than preservation — it becomes a sector creating jobs and income.
The conservation and transmission challenge
Restitution also raises another challenge: 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 ensure these items are passed on to future generations.
The goal is not just to recover objects. It is to allow young generations to make them their own. In schools, universities and museums, these works can become teaching and research tools. They can help explain precolonial kingdoms, African societies, resistance to colonial conquest and the political and cultural transformations that shaped Benin’s history.
A cultural battle with global implications
The request for 35 new cultural items sent to France illustrates a shifting balance of power around 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 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 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: Beninese heritage must gradually find its place back in Benin.
Recovering the past to build the future
The fight for restitution goes beyond old objects. It touches identity, memory and a country’s ability to tell its own story. For Benin, the challenge is to turn every restitution into an opportunity. A returned work must be studied, conserved, exhibited and explained. A museum that opens its doors must attract both Beninese citizens and foreign visitors. A historical site must benefit the communities living nearby. Only then does restitution take on its full meaning.
The 35 new items claimed 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.
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