Dahomey by Mati Diop: Cinematic Tribute to Benin’s Independence Day 2025

In celebration of Benin Republic’s Independence Day on August 1st, we’re spotlighting a cultural moment that has redefined how the world sees this West African nation. It’s not a parade or a political speech, it’s a film. Mati Diop’s powerful documentary Dahomey is doing for Benin what few works of art ever achieve: placing its history, identity, and people on the global stage with power, poetry, and purpose.

Although Benin doesn’t yet boast a massive film industry, it has become central in the global conversation through impactful storytelling and films that explore postcolonial identity, restitution, and heritage.

In February 2024, Dahomey made history by winning the Golden Bear, the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. This was not only a win for Mati Diop but for Benin itself, a relatively small West African country whose cultural contributions are too often sidelined.

By centring Benin’s historic Kingdom of Dahomey and the return of 26 looted royal artefacts from a Paris museum, the film reclaimed a narrative that had long been told by others. It reframed Benin as not just a subject of history, but the storyteller.

At the heart of the film is a bold creative choice: a wooden statue of King Ghezo narrates the story. This once-looted artwork becomes the voice of history, trauma, and homecoming. It’s poetic, radical, and deeply symbolic.

Through this perspective, Dahomey explores what it means for stolen cultural treasures to return not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally, to the people who lost them.

Much of the documentary takes place in Benin itself, notably at the University of Abomey-Calavi, where students passionately debate the meaning of restitution and identity.

Instead of telling a story about Benin, Diop’s film gives Beninese youth, historians, and artists the microphone. They question colonial legacy, ask what justice looks like, and imagine a future where culture is not defined by loss, but by pride.

This grassroots approach made Dahomey not only a film but a movement.

Thanks to Dahomey, the world is waking up to what Benin has long known:

• Its history is epic, complex, and deserving of reverence.

• That its people are intellectually engaged, culturally proud, and artistically gifted.

• That true independence isn’t only about borders, it’s about owning your story.

Benin’s representation in this global film has opened the door for a deeper appreciation of its heritage, from the Kingdom of Dahomey to today’s artists and thinkers.

As Benin marks another year of freedom, Dahomey stands as a timely reminder: Independence isn't just a memory; it's a continuous act. It’s seen in the return of artefacts, the retelling of history, and the rising global visibility of Beninese culture.

This film gives Benin a renewed voice on the world stage. And as we celebrate independence, Dahomey reminds us that freedom includes the freedom to define ourselves through art, truth, and memory.

Together, Beninese films offer profound lessons: heritage is alive!!!