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A New Museum

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In one of my previous blog posts, I wrote about how returned art from France was being returned to Benin. Since so much art is coming back, government officials have come together to create a new museum for the returned art. The museum will be named the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA). Not only will it showcase the stolen bronzes from Benin, but it will also have the stolen art from other countries in West Africa like Nigeria. The museum will be located in the heart of the old city, next to the palace of oba, the king of Benin. This palace was rebuilt in the 20th century following its destruction in the 1897 attack. Not only will the museum house the historical artwork, but it will also have contemporary art as well. The museum is designed to put the community first since it will house so many historical artifacts. Overall this is a very exciting development, hopefully, this will lead to other countries returning stolen artifacts and art back​​ to Africa. Source:  Gershon, ...
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Looted Art from France

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In 1892 French soldiers ransacked a palace in Benin, stealing 26 royal treasures from the country. Some of the artifacts included statues from the ancient kingdom of Abomey and the throne of King Behanzin. Yet in 2021 Paris agreed to return the lost art to the country. Therefore in November 2021, the lost art was returned to Benin. There was a ceremony held in Benin to welcome back the lost art, crowds of people lined the street. One woman said she traveled over 300 miles to witness the return of the artifacts. The returned artifacts will be placed in a new museum in Benin, that way the people of Benin can see what was taken from them. Hopefully, this will urge other countries to return what was stolen from Africa during colonization. Which includes over a thousand pieces stolen, just from what is now southern Nigeria. It’s not fair to have artifacts that don’t belong to you on display.  Source:  BBC News. (2021, November 11).   Benin . Retrieved March 22, 2022, from http...
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Education

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Benin’s education system has recently started to change, the details are laid out in their Education Sector Plan (ESP) for 2018-2030. The outline highlights the governments' vision for Benin which states, “In 2030, Benin’s education system ensures that all learners, without distinction, have the access to the skills, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation that will make them full-blown/fulfilled, competent and competitive citizens able to ensure economic growth, sustainable development and national cohesion”(Global Partnership for Education, 2022). Some of the plans in motion to ensure this happens are implementing a 12-year universal basic education system, developing a vocational training offer adapted to the needs of economic development, and improving the quality of teaching and learning as well as a few other plans. With all of these plans in motion, Benin is giving more children a chance at education, which is great. It’ll be exciting to watch the development of this plan over...
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Environment

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Benin’s economy heavily relies on agriculture, generating about 70% of employment from it as well as 30% of GDP. Yet climate change continues to get in the way of having successful crops, which is why Benin partners with the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). Benin has been a partner with CCAC since 2013, and they are continuing to battle climate change. The two ongoing campaigns currently are the BreatheLife Campaign and the Institutional strengthening support with SNAP. The BreatheLife campaign focuses on reducing air pollution to levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2030. In order to achieve this goal partners with the campaign are attempting to build awareness, empower individuals about climate change, and increase monitoring to facilitate more sustainable urban development. Those are just a few examples of how they plan to cut down on air pollution. The Institutional strengthing support focuses on building integrated emission inventories and increas...
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Business & Economy

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Benin is one of Africa’s largest producers of cotton which makes them dependent on subsistence agriculture and regional trade. Being so dependent on agriculture can lead to problems, yet Benin's economy has been growing over the past couple of years. Over the past five years, they have maintained positive economic growth. As of 2022, they have a compound annual growth rate of almost 5 percent. They have recorded a 1.8 overall gain in economic freedom since 2017. Making them now “Moderately Free” for the first time in a decade. Moving on to the business side, in 2016 the Government Action Plan included 95 sector-based projects, 45 major projects, and 19 institutional reforms to create 500,000 jobs. Overall showing that Benin’s business and the economy are doing pretty well. There is always room for improvement, yet hopefully, they continue to move in this same direction to better their business and economy. Source: Index of Economic Freedom. (n.d.).   Benin economy: Population, GDP,...
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