Advertisement

Image: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesImage: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Benin

Benin is a presidential republic in West Africa with a population of over 14 million, around 65% of which is under the age of 25. Benin borders Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Workers from Niger and China are seen on the construction site of an oil pipeline in the Niger in 2022.

Workers from Niger and China are seen on the construction site of an oil pipeline in the Niger in 2022.

Benin-Niger oil export row flares again

Niger has accused Benin of kidnapping five oil workers, while Benin claims the men entered an oil terminal illegally.

Doku | Benin - Flucht vor der Dürre

Doku | Benin - Flucht vor der Dürre

Nomads of Benin - Driven away by drought

Boubé is a nomad. He belongs to a Beninese pastoralist tribe called the Fulani.

Grenzübergang zwischen Benin und Niger in Malanville

Grenzübergang zwischen Benin und Niger in Malanville

Niger and Benin’s border dispute

A tense border dispute between Niger and Benin seems to have been averted for now.

Workers from Niger and China are seen on the construction site of an oil pipeline in Gaya, Niger, in October 2022

Workers from Niger and China are seen on the construction site of an oil pipeline in Gaya, Niger, in October 2022

Benin gives green light for Niger's oil exports to China

After Benin blocked crude oil exports for months, a tense standoff appears to have been resolved with China's mediation.

DW Sendung | 77 Percent

DW Sendung | 77 Percent

Benin: A tourism destination like no other

From the vibrant city of Cotonou to the water village of Ganvie, there's a lot to discover in Benin.

Fatou Ellika Muloshi stands on a beach in The Gambia.

Fatou Ellika Muloshi stands on a beach in The Gambia.

The 77 Percent — the magazine for Africa's youth

This week, The 77 Percent takes you for a ride through the continent’s known and insider tourist attractions.

A wheelchair basketball player holding a basketball on a court in Benin

A wheelchair basketball player holding a basketball on a court in Benin

Disabled athletes in Africa changing the game

Not only are these athletes passionate about their sports, but they are changing perceptions of what they can do.

Russland Ibrahim Traore

Russland Ibrahim Traore

AfricaLink on Air - 04 March 2024

German minister warns of Russian influence+++Security situation in the Sahel+++Rwanda probes sexual abuse allegations

Svenja Schulze speaks with two African women

Svenja Schulze speaks with two African women

Germany aims to confront extremism in Sahel region

In Burkina Faso, Development Minister Schulze wants to show a willingness to speak with the ruling military junta.

Mati Diop holding the Golden Bear for Best Film.

Mati Diop holding the Golden Bear for Best Film.

Berlinale: Film on looted colonial-era art wins Golden Bear

Mati Diop's documentary "Dahomey," on the restitution of 26 colonial works to Benin, won the film festival's top award.

A woman wearing a grey dress lays on a bed with a light green sheet as the female camera crew talks to her.

A woman wearing a grey dress lays on a bed with a light green sheet as the female camera crew talks to her.

African female filmmakers converge in Benin

The International Women's Film Festival features 18 films, all made by women.

DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

New home, new identity, new life

Climate refugees in Bangladesh, repatriation of Benin bronzes to Nigeria, turtle rescue in the USA.

Cars drive past Nigeria's University of Lagos

Cars drive past Nigeria's University of Lagos

Nigeria launches crackdown on fake degrees

The move comes after the Nigerian government banned degree certificates from 18 foreign universities.

A Black man in chalk-white make-up looks at jewelry held out to him by a woman in traditional clothing

A Black man in chalk-white make-up looks at jewelry held out to him by a woman in traditional clothing

Benin's Voodoo festival brings different religions together

In southern Benin, excitement is building for the Voodoo holiday on January 10.

Still | The 77 Percent Magazine | #194 | 02.12.2023

Still | The 77 Percent Magazine | #194 | 02.12.2023

Kenyan tech workers organize for rights and dignity

Young Kenyan tech workers are forming unions to fight for their basic rights, after being left jobless and traumatized.

DW The 77 Percent

DW The 77 Percent

Street Debate: Benin Cyber harassment

In Benin’s capital Cotonou, young people tell us how they navigate abuse online.

Still | The 77 Percent Magazine | #194 | 02.12.2023

Still | The 77 Percent Magazine | #194 | 02.12.2023

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

The 77 Percent explores how tech is affecting young Africans, from AI to workers’ rights and cyberbullying.

A man in a yellow shirt holds a green electric bicycle on a busy street

A man in a yellow shirt holds a green electric bicycle on a busy street

Benin goes green with electric motorcycles

Gas-guzzling motorbike taxis in Benin's capital emit harmful fumes. An e-bike company is looking to change all that.

Contraband Nigerian fuel for sale on roadside.

Contraband Nigerian fuel for sale on roadside.

Benin: Dozens killed in fuel depot blast

The explosion reportedly erupted at a warehouse for smuggled fuel in southern Benin.

A petanque team wearing bright yellow shirts and black shorts stand and discuss a game

A petanque team wearing bright yellow shirts and black shorts stand and discuss a game

Benin hosts World Petanque Championships

More than 30 countries are participating in the world championship, a first for West Africa.

The 77 Percent Magazine #158 Sa, 25.03.2023

The 77 Percent Magazine #158 Sa, 25.03.2023

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

We take a look at child marriage, its cost to society and what is being done to fight against it.

YT Plan KW 29 | Raubkunst

YT Plan KW 29 | Raubkunst

Looted art: Restitution in the crosshairs of world politics

Colonial looted artworks are finally being returned to their countries of origin.

David Adjaye: Man speaking into microphone.

David Adjaye: Man speaking into microphone.

David Adjaye: Star architect accused of sexual misconduct

The British-Ghanaian architect was set to design a UK Holocaust memorial and a home for the Benin Bronzes in Nigeria.

Paperdolls made of different euro bills

Paperdolls made of different euro bills

Searching for a way out of poverty

Moms and medical bills in Benin, digital poverty in the UK, Mexico's indigenous music and an update on Ethiopia.

A person sits in front of a window and looks into the camera

A person sits in front of a window and looks into the camera

Transforming attitudes toward nonbinary people in Benin

Melody Boateng is a trans activist who helps young nonbinary people find their place in Benin.

Claudia Roth, Annalen Baerbock, Geoffrey Onyeama and Lai Momammed, who are all wearing white gloves, stand together and smile while a Benine Bronze is held up to the camera.

Claudia Roth, Annalen Baerbock, Geoffrey Onyeama and Lai Momammed, who are all wearing white gloves, stand together and smile while a Benine Bronze is held up to the camera.

The unending controversy over the looted Benin Bronzes

The restitution of Benin bronzes from Germany to Nigeria sparked a fiery debate. DW explains the differing perspectives.

BRICS Treffen in Brasilien/Vladimir Putin und Cyril Ramaphosa

BRICS Treffen in Brasilien/Vladimir Putin und Cyril Ramaphosa

AfricaLink on Air - 23 May 2023

Germany concerned over Nigeria's decision to handover bronze statues to Oba of Benin

A Benin Bronze, anicent African mask.

A Benin Bronze, anicent African mask.

Critics fear Benin Bronzes could be privatized by royal heir

As Nigeria's President gives the artworks Oba Ewuare II, Germany stands by the decision to restitute the sculptures.

Kagame shakes hands with Putin in front of a sign reading "Russia-Africa"

Kagame shakes hands with Putin in front of a sign reading "Russia-Africa"

Rwanda's Kagame defends Russia's presence in Africa

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has defended Russia's presence in Africa while decidedly criticizing the West.

Paul Kagame zu Besuch in Guinea-Bissau

Paul Kagame zu Besuch in Guinea-Bissau

AfricaLink on Air — 18 April 2023

What is Kagame hoping to achieve - after visiting Guinea, Benin and Guinea-Bissau?+++Zimbabwe marks Independence Day

Südafrika Ngodwana | Coronavirus und Prostitution

Südafrika Ngodwana | Coronavirus und Prostitution

AfricaLink on Air — 06 April 2023

Benin Bronzes made of German brass+++ Sex work in Kenya+++Violence against women in South Africa+++Easter time in Africa

Blue gloves handling Benin Bronze

Blue gloves handling Benin Bronze

Benin Bronzes made of German brass

Many of the famous Benin Bronzes pillaged in 1897 are made from German brass manillas, new research shows.

DW The 77 Percent

DW The 77 Percent

Let's tour through Benin's Cotonou

Local slam artist Kamal Radji takes you through his hometown Cotonou.

The 77 Percent Magazine #157 Sa 18.3.2023

The 77 Percent Magazine #157 Sa 18.3.2023

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

From the black market to online trading, we find out how 77 Percenters are coping with inflation across the continent.

The 77 Percent Magazine #157 Sa 18.3.2023

The 77 Percent Magazine #157 Sa 18.3.2023

Building the Benin of tomorrow

With a focus on sustainable design, architect Romarick Atoke is working to build the Africa of the 21st century.

Screenshot Beitrag Turtles find friends in Benin

Screenshot Beitrag Turtles find friends in Benin

Turtles find friends in Benin

Off the coast of Benin, Bienvenue Djossou has converted his pub into a safe zone for sea turtle hatchlings.

A sculpture of a face in bronze from Benin.

A sculpture of a face in bronze from Benin.

Pressure on London to restitute artworks grows

The British Museum is not ready to return stolen cultural property from the colonial era, but pressure is mounting.

DW Sendung | The 77 Percent

DW Sendung | The 77 Percent

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

We ask 77 Percenters what they make of Russia's growing influence on the African continent.

DW Sendung The 77 Percent

DW Sendung The 77 Percent

Is Russia's African charm offensive working?

We ask 77 Percenters in Cotonou how their perception of Russia has changed since the invasion of Ukraine.

Thumbnail 77 percent, #148 Sa, 14.01.2023

Thumbnail 77 percent, #148 Sa, 14.01.2023

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

We take a look at child marriage, its cost to society and what is being done to fight against it.

Nigeria | Rückgabe der Benin-Bronzen in Abuja

Nigeria | Rückgabe der Benin-Bronzen in Abuja

AfricaLink on Air - 20 December 2022

Germany hands over 20 looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria+++Kwan Pa Ghanaian Palm Wine Music band thrills fans

A Benin Bronze in a glass case

A Benin Bronze in a glass case

Germany returns looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

At a "historic" repatriation ceremony in Abuja, German officials returned 20 stolen Benin Bronzes to their homeland.

Südafrika | ANC Präsident Cyril Ramaphosa

Südafrika | ANC Präsident Cyril Ramaphosa

AfricaLink on Air — 19 December 2022

President Ramaphosa re-elected as ANC party leader+++ Germany's Annalena Baerbock in Nigeria+++Messi wins World Cup.

A bronze face mask is one of the Benin Bronze's being returned to Nigeria

A bronze face mask is one of the Benin Bronze's being returned to Nigeria

Returning the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Want to know more on the discussions around the restitution of stolen colonial treasures?

Two men, Nigerian Ambassador to Germany Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (l) and Director General Abba Isa Tijani (r) of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, pose and smile with Rautenstrauch Joest Museum Director Nanette Snoep (c) at a restitution ceremony in Cologne, Germany.

Two men, Nigerian Ambassador to Germany Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (l) and Director General Abba Isa Tijani (r) of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, pose and smile with Rautenstrauch Joest Museum Director Nanette Snoep (c) at a restitution ceremony in Cologne, Germany.

Benin Bronzes: From German museums off to Nigeria

Restitution from Germany begins: Artifacts that once belonged to the kingdom of Benin, will be on their way to Nigeria.

One of the Benin Bronze sculptures that was being held in Cologne

One of the Benin Bronze sculptures that was being held in Cologne

Cologne hands over stolen Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Another major German city has begun giving back artwork stolen by British colonialists in the 19th century.

Areal view of a farm in Songhai with houses and fields

Areal view of a farm in Songhai with houses and fields

Songhai's zero-waste farming tackles food insecurity

The Songhai Center in Benin has grown from a one-acre plot into a model for sustainable agriculture.

Benin Wasser-Bike

Benin Wasser-Bike

What is Benin's answer to boat accidents?

In Benin, accidents from small canoes are common. But innovator, James Gnansounou, hopes Hydro-Keke will save lives.

An ancient African bust, with similar artworks in the background that are out of focus.

An ancient African bust, with similar artworks in the background that are out of focus.

'Digital Benin' lists looted colonial artifacts

The new digital platform catalogs objects that were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin during the colonial era.

DW Euromaxx | Nohnee

DW Euromaxx | Nohnee

Traditional dirndls made with African fabrics

Munich-based label Noh Nee brings together traditional Bavarian garb and African prints.