Among the works expected in Cotonou and which were exhibited at the Parisian museum of Quai Branly, are totem statues from 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.

"Some of these works, strongly imbued with voodoo, are sacred" in the West African country where this religion based on the forces of nature and the cult of ancestors was born, explains Mr. Houénoudé, also director of the National Institute. crafts, archeology and culture (INMAAC) from the University of Abomey-Calavi.

“We cannot build by making a clean sweep of the past”, he blurted out while ruling out the systematic restitution of the works: “Not all the objects were obtained in a context of looting”.

QUESTION: What do these works represent in Benin?

ANSWER: "These works are symbols of sovereignty carried away by France in its colonial conquest. For Benin, these are strong elements of creativity which return to the territory. Some, strongly imbued with voodoo, are sacred.

They are not known to all Beninese because they have been erased from the collective memory but they have remained in the memory of tradition.

The elders, for example, know them thanks to the epics told by their grandparents.

The doors of the palace of the kingdom of Abomey, at the Quai Branly museum in Paris on September 10, 2021 Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP / Archives

It is a highly anticipated event for researchers and students as well as for the general public who are eager to discover the material elements of its civilization. "

Q: Why is this feedback important?

A: "This represents above all the restoration of dignity. The Beninese recover part of their heritage. These are strong elements of their history. They will no longer have to go to see them in foreign museums but will be able to contemplate them at home. .

This is also used for rebuilding memory.

It is not only the people and the objects that have been looted, but also memory.

This is filled with shame related to the fall or failure of our people.

There is an adage in Benin that says that you have to build the future from what exists, that you have to braid from the old rope.

We cannot build by making a clean sweep of the past ".

Q: Is this a new starting point, a restitution that calls for others?

A: "This restitution lays the seeds for a short, medium and long term cooperation with the countries which are interested in the Beninese culture. It is the starting point of a moment of circulation and sharing around objects. which unfortunately were no longer on the territory.

Beninese President Patrice Talon and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during the press conference marking the return of the works to Benin, in Paris on November 9, 2021 bertrand GUAY AFP

But it should also be understood that not all items were obtained in a context of looting.

Some are the result of normal, honest acquisitions, without being part of the illicit traffic.

This restitution therefore does not call for an identity withdrawal but adds to our hybrid identity ".

© 2021 AFP