Afrikatage 2026: "Dahomey"

The Africa Days, organized by the One World Forum Mannheim and the One World Centre Heidelberg, offer the opportunity to learn about various topics and regions of the African continent with numerous events in Mannheim and Heidelberg. The aim is to counter one-sided and stereotypical perceptions with a differentiated image of the continent with a diverse and top-class program. Cinema Quadrat is taking part in the Africa Days 2026 with three films.
In cooperation with Black Academy:

DAHOMEY

FRA/SEN/BEN 2024. dir: Mati Diop. Documentary. 68 min. French-English-English. FSK: 0

November 2021: 26 art treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and return to their country of origin, today's Benin. Together with thousands of other objects, they were looted by French colonial troops in 1892. But how are the returning objects to be received in a country that has changed dramatically in their absence? In a discussion organized by director Diop, students from the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin debate what they think about the repatriation of the cultural objects.
The documentary sheds light on questions of self-determination and restitution with a sparkling imagination: partly told from the perspective of one of the artworks. The film was awarded the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlinale.

In cooperation with Black Academy
With introduction and film discussion with Dr. Gbeognin Mickael Houngbedji, Black Academy