In Cotonou, within the Mathieu Gardens, the Obelisk aux dévoués stands as a solemn tribute to the departed in Benin. Historically, successive Beninese presidents would lay wreaths on the graves of French soldiers who perished in the pursuit of colonial objectives.
However, Beninese writer Florent Couao-Zotti has advocated for a paradigm shift in this tradition, asserting, “You can’t go there to venerate foreign soldiers who died for the conquest of Dahomey.”
Concurrently, the striking statue of the Amazon stands tall as a source of pride for the Beninese people, embodying qualities of courage, bravery, and patriotism entrenched in the annals of Dahomey’s history.
The African Heritage History Book Fair, an indispensable event, serves as a conduit for the public to delve into the diverse facets of history encapsulated by these monuments.
Eskil Agbo, Director of Bénin livres, expresses consistent enthusiasm for disseminating this knowledge to the public: “We ourselves in Africa, in our African countries, don’t really know our own histories, even though we have great African authors who have written works on African cultural heritage, who have written works on history. But these works remain in their offices.”
The third iteration of the Ouidah book fair, integrated into the Vodun festival, encompasses conferences, debates, film screenings, exhibitions, and books aimed at fostering discussions and reflections on African history, heritage, and ancestral values.
Through literary works and artistic creations, attendees gain a nuanced perspective of Africa, diverging from the stereotypes and narratives perpetuated by foreign writers. At this forum, African researchers and historians specializing in heritage matters contextualize facts within their true historical settings.
“History today is at the heart of all the issues linked to our culture, linked to our past, linked to our memory. It’s important that the narrative we provide is in tune and in harmony with our realities,” elucidates Florent Couao-Zotti.
