It’s not hard to see what Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop’s impressive hybrid documentary, Dahomey, took the top prize at Berlinale earlier this year. An intimate and focused contemplation on culture and the far-reaching consequences of colonialism, the 68-minute-long feature and the questions it raises will stay with you long after its credits have rolled.
The film follows the repatriation of 26 looted treasures from France to the West African country of Benin (the modern equivalent of the Kingdom of Dahomey). Originally stolen by French troops during their colonial takeover of the region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they were on display in Paris until activists successfully campaigned for their return.
Among the 26 artifacts is a statue representing King Ghézo, who ruled the Kingdom from 1818 to 1859. In a blend of fact and fiction, Diop gives the piece a literal voice as it speaks to audiences of its time spent in darkness, imprisoned in a foreign country, its memories of its homeland, and how it feels to be returning after over 100 years away. Its musings are lyrical and purposefully poetic, the actual tone disembodied and haunting in the extreme.
When not focussed on artifact 26, audiences are positioned as a fly on the wall and observe all stages of the epic journey. Along with Diop’s camera, we witness the careful packaging, travel inside the boxes alongside the fragile items, and finally stand alongside the many treasures as they’re unveiled to the public in Abomey, the old royal city near the Gulf of Guinea. Curators provide us with information and context of many of the items, like statues honouring Ghézo’s heirs Glele and Béhanzin, shown with the heads of the animals they were associated with like lions or sharks. As they make their way from the airport to their new home, they are greeted by joyous crowds, cheering, dancing and singing
But the most effective piece of the film comes via the inclusion of a student debate from the University of Abomey-Calavi. Watching the younger generation hotly contest the repatriation and what it means to them should be required viewing for any study of colonialism and its far-reaching consequences. This is not an issue that ended when colonial powers retreated, it continues to touch people daily. There are arguments that repatriation is a step in the right direction and just the beginning of a more significant diplomatic shift. Still, others feel returning just 26 of 7,000 items is nothing more than an insult. Some feel it’s the perfect opportunity to push for further cultural re-discovery and appreciation, while others think the key to true freedom lies in moving forward. Several argue passionately that the culture of Benin lies in its citizens’ hearts and minds and not within old objects in a museum. Tellingly, the majority of the debate is carried out in the country’s official language, French–a leftover of colonial rule used as an example by one student of just what they’re up against in trying to reclaim their own identity. Each and every point is well-articulated and impassioned, so well-thought-out that it’s hard not to agree with every argument, even when their conclusions are at odds with each other.
The project’s main curator worries at one point about whether there will be someone to pick up his torch and continue on this quest for preservation because this is a slow, long-lasting process. If the debate is any indication, he needn’t worry. The next generation is perhaps more dialled into what needs to be done than any that have come before them.
Diop’s style here is unhurried, allowing each frame to linger and leave an impression. Despite its slower pace, Dahomey galvanizes both the spirit and the mind, and stirs up difficult but necessary questions. Ones that need to be grappled with by many countries as they look to heal old but still open wounds and right past wrongs. Without needing to state it explicitly, Diop suggests that the first step should be returning the 6,974 remaining stolen treasures to Benin. What happens after that, both in Benin’s re-discovery of their common identity and in further repatriations from former colonial powers, is anyone’s best guess. There’s definitely more to say, and we can only hope that Diop may offer up her unique voice to continue the conversation further.
