‘Dahomey’: Mati Diops Resonant Docu about Decolonization and Restitution through Art Works

Berlin Film Festival

Dahomey, a documentary directed by Cannes prizewinner Mati Diop (Atlantique) and slated for Berlin competition, will be represented internationally by Paris-based Les Films du Losange.

The feature marks the directorial comeback of the French-Senegalese talent after winning the Grand Prize at Cannes with Atlantique in 2019.

Diop, who is also a well-known actor (Fire), is considered one of the leaders of a new wave of African and diaspora cinema.

In Dahomey, Diop explores the issue of colonization through the story of precious artworks, which were restituted to Benin in November 2021 after being stolen by French colonizers in 1892, when the African country was called the Kingdom of Dahomey.

The documentary follows the journey of 26 royal treasures plundered by French colonial troops in the Kingdom of Dahomey, which have been exhibited at the Musée du Quai de Branly in Paris and are being returned to Cotonou in Benin.

With the directir’s attention to detial and subjective close-ups, the looted treasures become much more than physical artifacts–they assume the nature of on screen characters, imbued with symbolic resonance, a reminder how the past continues to “speak” to the present.

Diop bring the artifacts back to life and gives a voice to the demands of a new generation through a stylized and innovative mise-en-scène.

The documentary has a political dimension, weaving in debates raging among students in the country’s University of Abomey-Calavi.

It also raises more universal issue of how other societies must (or should) deal with issues of decolonization and restitution.

The movie reteams Diop with “Atlantique” producers at Les Films du Bal and Senegal’s Fanta Sy.

“Dahomey” is one of several French co-production at the Berlinale competition, alongside Abderrahman Sissako’s Black Tea, another film focusing on the African diaspora.