Launched in competition in Berlin, director Mati Diop’s “Dahomey” traces the path of 26 royal treasures stolen by French soldiers in 1892 and returned to the nation of Benin in 2021. Moving from Paris to Cotonou, the innovative documentary allows the artefacts to speak for themselves , contemplating their journey in Fon-language dialogue often set against an ethereal and evocative synthpop score.
diverse I spoke with the director before the world premiere of her film.
She described the project as a “fictional documentary.” What does the term mean to you?
“Documentary” wouldn’t be enough, “fiction” wouldn’t quite be right either, and I needed a term that captured the hybrid nature. I also liked this almost playful way of reconciling two cinematic fantasies that we don’t often associate with each other. This fantastical element does not stem from giving the statues a voice and allowing them to tell their own story – from an African perspective, this is as self-evident as reality itself. Of course works of art are imbued with spirits and sounds, and there is nothing supernatural about that! But the film has a haunted and frightening dimension linked to the music and mood.
What attracted you to musicians Wally Badaro and Dean Plant to create this mood?
The voices that free themselves from the basements of European museums must also free themselves from stereotypes. I needed music that was very lyrical, that conveyed a sense of glow and grandeur to put back into the artifacts the power that had been taken away from them. This fantasy dimension was part of a way to reduce that situation. Wally Badaro’s music reconnects me with a certain kind of 80s fantasy cinema, while Dean Plant’s score evokes a more spiritual dimension to the sounds of the ancestors. The fact that these two musicians of African descent have Beninese and Nigerian backgrounds respectively, heightens their connection to the original land of the treasures along with their sense of belonging.
The camera zooms in on the artifacts – in an early sequence it even reaches shipping crates as they prepare for the journey from France to Benin.
I wanted us to experience this scene from the point of view of the artifact itself, to give the impression that we are inside its experience, living with it as it leaves the space in which it has been confined for 130 years. I definitely wanted the viewer to feel the historical weight of this moment, the weight and tension that I personally felt when witnessing historical change. This feeling should be clear and palpable in every shot. Thus the question of point of view was central and permanent.
“Dahomey”
© Les Films du Bal – Fanta Sea
You just take a more clinical view when antiques arrive, following local appraisers as they examine the works.
It was great to spend time with Beninese experts and curators as they discovered the physical condition of the works and actually assessed their condition. Firstly, because we are not accustomed to doing it from an African perspective. But then, this sequence has a very strong metaphorical effect as well, because it reflects the physical consequences of time. It is a political, intimate, physical and psychological examination of everything that actually contributed to the existence of this story.
Aside from the narration of the artifacts, the only other voices we hear belong to the students discussing the return of the property at the local university. Why do we focus so much on these discussions?
It was absolutely necessary to put Benin’s student youth at the heart of this film, because issues of cultural heritage restoration simply cannot be separated from the questions asked by African students. What relationship do these students have to their history and past, and how was it transmitted to them? Is it related to this business at all? And in terms of the wider community, who might actually have the luxury of reconnecting with the works on display?
In addition, we cannot limit ourselves to the framework of the Beninese government only, because it is really up to the youth to decide whether this moment is historic or not. In this way, restitution was actually a prism through which we could ask young people about their relationship to themselves, to postcolonial issues, and to politics in the country as well – to the collision and opposition of the voices of the ancestral commemorative past with the voices of more youthful youth. He cries.
Going forward, what are your plans for Fanta Sy – the Senegal-based production company you launched for this film?
(Fanta Sy co-founder) Fabakary Asembi Koli has been a close artistic collaborator since 2013, and we wanted to continue this partnership by joining forces to create a production company in Dakar. My next two projects are related to the African continent, and more than that, we would also like to support young Senegalese filmmakers, or young international African filmmakers working on short and feature films. Beyond my work, I want to put my energy and commitment towards other African voices. I don’t know what kind of producer I could be, and how I could possibly work with another filmmaker in this capacity, and I’m looking forward to finding out.
“Dahomey”
Courtesy of the Berlin Film Festival