Can a documentary film give a voice to stolen royal treasures returning home?
In short: Mati Diop’s award-winning film Dahomey blends fact and fantasy to narrate the repatriation of 26 royal artifacts from France to Benin. By giving a voice to a statue of King Ghézo, the documentary transforms looted colonial objects into characters, sparking a profound debate on justice, memory, and the legacy of colonialism.
Dahomey, directed by Mati Diop, chronicles the 2024 return of 26 royal treasures to Benin, which had been held in the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. These artifacts, including statues of kings Glele and Béhanzin and a royal throne, were seized by French soldiers in 1892 during the colonial period. The film serves as a hybrid documentary, utilizing surveillance footage from museums and a scripted voice-over by Haitian writer Makenzy Orcel, who speaks for a statue of King Ghézo to reflect on its time in storage and its eventual homecoming.
A central component of the film is a debate among students at the University of Abomey-Calavi. These students grapple with the complexities of restitution, with some criticizing the Paris museum for returning only 26 items out of the 7,000 ethnographic objects it holds. This dialogue highlights the tension between the physical return of cultural assets and the broader, ongoing conversation regarding the colonial legacy in Africa. Critics have noted that the film acts as a powerful provocation, moving beyond a simple historical account to explore the poetry of the dispossessed.
The film achieved significant international recognition, winning the Golden Bear at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in 2024, becoming the second African film to do so. It has been praised for its inventive approach, with reviewers describing it as a "richly layered" work that challenges post-colonial notions of repair. While some critics suggested the student debate could feel repetitive, the consensus remains that Diop has crafted a vital contribution to the global discourse on cultural heritage and justice.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Dahomey (film)
- Also: Wikidata — Dahomey · CC0
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