A festival, to trace back king Béhanzin's resistance itinerary

Principal country concerned : Column : History/society
Release/publication date : December 2003
Published on : 02/08/2003
Source : Pana

For ten days, the festival will be welcoming a lot of visitors, researchers, students, tourists, artists, culture operators, from Benin, Africa and the diaspora, on the different symbolic settings that testify his resistance.

Estimated to 200 million francs CFA, the festival will allow to list the historical, cultural and natural capacities, to restore the historical places, places and values of our cultural patrimony and "to bring about a fairer and impartial way of looking at the history of Dahomey kingdom".

The scientific side of the festival will comprise conferences dealing with topics related to the peopling of the kingdom, religion, administrative management in the king environment, relationships between the kingdom and its evrlasting partners, slavery itinerary, the management of the king's power.

The creativity side will comprise song sessions, popular and ceremony-like dances, exhibitions of ancient and recent works of art, a mini-fair, exhibitions-sales, sports, recreational and traditional activities.

The festival attendees will follow king Béhanzin resistance itinerary against colonisation, the different sites of which will be restored.

The itinerary, which begins from Kotokpa (place where the king started his different expeditions) to Ayonoudjo (place where he used to pay taxes to the king of Oyo), goes through the site for preparation of the cannon powder embodied by 41 millstones up to the slavery road (Ouidah), 42 kms frm Cotonou.

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

With the support of