"Dahomey", a documentary by Franco-Senegalese director Mati Diop probing the thorny issues surrounding Europe's return of looted antiquities to Africa, won the Berlin film festival's top prize.



Berlin

"Dahomey", a documentary created by Franco-Senegalese director Mati Diop, recently won the top prize at the Berlin film festival. The documentary delves into the complex issues concerning the European return of looted antiquities to Africa, highlighting the ongoing debate about cultural repatriation.



Golden Bear win for 'Dahomey' highlights looted African art

Golden Bear for Best Film goes to the movie Dahomey by Mathie Diop. A Golden Bear for French Senegalese filmmaker Mathie Diop for her film about returning treasures looted by the West in former colonies. It's more than cinema, it's more than making a movie, it's a political gesture. This honours me, this honours my team, this honours the realities and people who this film talks about. It's a light put on an injustice that needed to be shared and discussed and now it belongs to the audience. It's a choice in line with the festival's political roots. Dahomey tells the story of France's return of 26 works of art to Benin in 2021, looted in 1892 by French colonial troops. Treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey were kept at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Thousands of African works of art from the colonial era remain on display in Europe's leading museums to this day. We can either get rid of the past as an unpleasant burden that only hinders our evolution or we can take the responsibility of it, using it as a basis to keep us moving forward. Dahomey is only the second African film to win the Berliners' Golden Bear, following the South African film Carmen de Caelicia in 2005.

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Perth

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London

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Council of the City of Sydney

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