Benin Remembers Slave Trade History
Benin commemorated the transatlantic slave trade and its abolition in Ouidah, with descendants of deported Africans joining a remembrance march and events reconnecting the diaspora with its ancestral roots.
Footage filmed on Sunday shows participants marching with a banner honouring deported Africans, gathering for presentations and visiting the city’s Python Temple. Officials were also seen signing agreements.
Diaspora Returns To Roots
“We mustn’t forget. We must constantly, ceaselessly remember, because what happened was monstrous,” Cuban-Haitian participant Beatrice Sylvestre said.
“At least we have a moment of reflection where we can come together and remember this historic atrocity,” she added.
Committee member Christophe Chodaton said participants had travelled from New Orleans, New York, Haiti, Ghana and elsewhere to ‘honour our ancestors.’
“It is a return to the source, a return to the homeland. And to support them on each occasion <…> We also offer them rituals and ceremonies to make this return even more, as we might now say, more physical,” explained Modeste Zinsou, a guide at the Python Temple.
Benin Grants Ancestry Citizenship
Benin adopted a law in 2024 allowing descendants of sub-Saharan Africans deported during the transatlantic slave trade to seek Beninese nationality. Applicants must be at least 18, come from outside Africa and provide evidence of their ancestry.
The government has since begun granting citizenship through official ceremonies, saying the scheme honours victims of the slave trade and strengthens ties with descendants seeking to reconnect with Benin.
Article by Viory
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