Film Review: Dahomey
by Rose Finlay

Mati Diop | France | Senegal | Benin | 2024

Winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film

In November of 2021, twenty-six royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey looted by France in 1892 were carefully packed up and returned to the country which is now known as Benin. In DAHOMEY, one of these statues has a voice, describing its journey and experience. The return of these artifacts is controversial, with many celebrating the return, while others discussing their place in current society.

Despite being only sixty-seven minutes in length, DAHOMEY somehow manages to drag through its short runtime, particularly whenever the perspective changes to the statue whose poetic monologues do little for the film other than to slow down the pace. The most exciting parts of the film are the student debates at the University of Abomey-Calavi. Can there ever truly be restitution when a country has had so much of its cultural heritage stolen from it? France may have returned twenty-six of the treasures, but this is merely a drop in the bucket of the thousands of items which were stolen from Benin. Some students describe the powerful emotions they felt looking at even a small part of their rich historical culture, something previously not available to them. Others speak of the insult inherent of returning only twenty-six objects and the political reasoning behind France’s agreement to return the items, not done out of goodness but rather as a way to gain positive political clout. For many, the objects represent national pride, something that Diop quite intricately entwines with the historical realities of the objects themselves, such as one carving depicting slavery—one of the important economic realities of the Kingdom of Dahomey which actively sold slaves throughout its history.

While the pacing of DAHOMEY can sometimes be drawn out and the choices too lyrical, there is much interesting political, cultural, and historical value in the documentation of the return of these objects. Leaving the film, the audience only wants to learn more about the rich history of the country of Benin and the fascinating viewpoints of its passionate and political youth.