A conversation-starter of a film by director Mati Diop, this brief but complex examination of a France-to-Africa transfer of ancient art asks: Who benefits?

At only 68 minutes, “Dahomey” brims with plenty of perspectives on what the restitution of these ancient treasures symbolizes and the dicey political implications around it.

On Jan. 20, 1894, Béhanzin, the 11th ruler of Dahomey — the kingdom in the area today known as Benin — stood before his subjects, fully aware it would be for the last time. Soon he would surrender ...

“Dahomey” depicts these moments with a delicate mix of respect and intimacy. ... They have put Benin’s ancient and contemporary art scenes on the map of West Africa’s thriving art ecosystem.

At times, Mati Diop imagines the POV of an ancient Dahomey statue, but her film really achieves greatness when it lands on a discussion by students at the University of Abomey-Calavi that unpacks ...

Vodou is an African religion and comes from the word Fon which means "God" or "Spirit" and "originated in the ancient kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Nigeria, Benin, and Togo)", according to an ...

Abomey, Benin. This town has several sights related to the time when it was the capital of the ancient Dahomey Kingdom. Begin at the Abomey Royal History Museum, established over the remains of ...

In 2021, 26 treasures that French colonial troops had pillaged from the African kingdom of Dahomey in 1892 made the long journey home from a museum in Paris to what is now the Republic of Benin.

“Dahomey,” “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,” “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” and “Sugarcane” are among the 20 nonfiction films that have made the ...

The Village Voice review of the new documentary "Dahomey" finds that museum art handlers appreciate ... African or otherwise — they’re a set of 26 ancient Dahomian “treasures,” art ...

In Mati Diop’s “Dahomey,” the spoils of war speak. “As far back as I can go,” says a raspy yet reverberant voice over a black screen, “there has never been a night so deep and opaque.” ...

At only 68 minutes, “Dahomey” brims with plenty of perspectives on what the restitution of these ancient treasures symbolizes and the dicey political implications around it.