French President Emmanuel Macron will receive his Beninese counterpart Patrice Talon in the morning to finalize the restitution of these 26 treasures preserved so far at the Parisian museum of Quai Branly, and which will reach Benin on Wednesday.

The Ministers of Culture of the two countries, Roselyne Bachelot and Jean-Michel Abimbola, will sign the deed of transfer of ownership from France to Benin, allowing the works to return to their country after nearly 130 years of absence.

This solemn ceremony marks the last stage of an unprecedented process initiated with the promise made in 2017 by Mr. Macron to proceed to restitutions of African heritage in France.

This initiative is "an important marker for the construction of a new relationship and a new perspective between France and the African continent", welcomed the Elysée.

'I can die in peace'

Among the restored works are totem statues of the former kingdom of Abomey as well as the throne of King Béhanzin, looted during the sacking of the Abomey Palace by French colonial troops in 1892.

These treasures will leave aboard a plane with Patrice Talon and their arrival will be celebrated on Wednesday in Cotonou, where they are awaited with emotion.

President Emmanuel Macron admires a throne of the kingdom of Abomey exhibited at the Quai Branly museum on October 27, 2021 in Paris, before being returned with other works in Benin Michel Euler POOL / AFP / Archives

"I shudder at the idea of ​​observing these royal treasures more closely, in particular the thrones of our ancestors. It's unimaginable," a dignitary and head of the community Dah Adohouannon told AFP in Cotonou.

"From the height of my 72 years, I can die in peace, once I see them," he added.

The works will be subjected to two months of "acclimatization" to the new climate and humidity conditions, before being exhibited for three months at the Beninese presidency.

"It is obvious that there will be a rush because everyone will want to see them very quickly and early enough", predicts a student, Henriette Béhannzin, who hopes that the visits will not be reserved for the privileged, "because this are treasures to all of us ".

The treasures will then go to the old Portuguese fort of Ouidah and the governor's house, historic places of slavery and European colonization, located on the coast, pending the construction of a new museum in Abomey.

During his speech in Ouagadougou in November 2017, Mr. Macron pledged to make temporary or permanent restitution of African heritage in France possible within five years.

Based on a report submitted by Senegalese and French academics Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy, he decided to return 26 works requested by the authorities of Benin.

A law passed in December 2020 made these restitutions possible in Benin by allowing derogations from the principle of "inalienability" of works in public collections, because they had been the subject of marked looting.

Palace doors from the former kingdom of Abomey exhibited at the Quai Branly museum, September 10, 2021 in Paris Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP / Archives

Before being returned, the 26 works were shown together one last time at the Parisian museum of Quai Branly, seen by "15,000 people in seven days".

According to experts, 85 to 90% of African heritage is outside the continent.

Since 2019, in addition to Benin, six countries - Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Chad, Mali, Madagascar - have submitted restitution requests.

Paris must soon return to Côte d'Ivoire the Djidji Ayokwe, famous drum speaker of the Ebriés, long claimed by Abidjan.

The restitution of works of art looted from Africa is one of the salient points of the "new relationship" that the French head of state intends to forge with the continent.

burs-cf / fz / ao

© 2021 AFP