In a bustling alley in Cotonou, inside an unassuming building, around twenty young people are tapping away at their keyboards. On their screens scroll 3D Gèlèdé masks, digitized Adinkra patterns, and modeled voodoo scenes. This is not a European video game studio, but rather Benin’s new cultural laboratory. A place where ancestral heritage meets the technologies of tomorrow.
A digital renaissance driven by history
Benin, cradle of the Dahomey kingdoms, has never lacked cultural richness. But for a long time, this memory remained locked away in foreign museums or frozen in oral traditions. Today, the country is making a bold shift: it wants to reclaim control of its narrative by digitizing it.
“We no longer want our culture to be told by others. Thanks to digital technology, we have the tools to tell it ourselves, in our own way,” explains Josué Ahouandjinou, director of the Digital Cultural Centre of Porto-Novo.
In 2021, the return of 26 works of art looted by France triggered a national awakening. This symbolic gesture was the starting point for a vast undertaking: digitizing, archiving, and disseminating Beninese heritage, not only to preserve it, but also to make it shine beyond its borders.
Smart and interactive museums
The Museum of the Epic of the Amazons and Kings of Danxomè, inaugurated in Abomey, bears no resemblance to classical museums. Here, visitors interact with holograms, manipulate artifacts in augmented reality, and listen to stories told by digital avatars.
“Young people no longer just want to look at objects behind a display case. They want to live history, to experience it,” says Nadège Soglo, chief curator of the museum. “Digital technology allows us to transform every visit into an immersive journey.”
This museum is part of a broader government-supported program aimed at creating a network of connected cultural venues, accessible both physically and virtually. A way to democratize access to culture, even in the most remote areas.
The rise of digital creators
On Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, a new generation of Beninese artists is making waves online. They are videographers, illustrators, musicians, or storytellers, and use social media to revisit the country’s founding myths.
“I want people to know that Mami Wata is much more than an African myth. She is a powerful, feminine, and universal figure,” says Ayodélé, a 25-year-old influencer who blends 2D animation and traditional storytelling in her viral videos.
Thanks to digital technology, these creators are breaking free from traditional channels. They reach a young, connected audience hungry for authentic narratives. And above all, they are redefining what it means to be an artist in Benin in 2024.
Startups in service of heritage
Benin’s tech sector is keeping pace. Several local startups have specialized in showcasing cultural heritage through emerging technologies.
Among them, “Numheritage” offers virtual tours of historical sites in virtual reality. The application has already attracted more than 80,000 users in West Africa. “We want every Beninese person to be able to visit the palaces of Abomey or the temples of Ouidah, even if they live in Parakou or Malanville,” explains its founder, Rodrigue Tchassakou.
Other companies are developing digital databases of traditional dances, ritual songs, and sacred objects. Their goal: to create a living memory, accessible to all, to prevent certain practices from disappearing forever.
Explicit political support
The Beninese government, aware of the strategic potential of digital culture, has integrated this dimension into its Government Action Plan. More than 50 billion francs CFA have been invested since 2018 in cultural and digital infrastructure.
“Culture is a lever for economic development, but also a tool of sovereignty,” declared President Patrice Talon at the inauguration of the Museum of Memory in 2023. “By mastering our narratives, we master our future.”
Partnerships have also been forged with digital giants such as Google Arts & Culture, which launched a platform dedicated to Benin, bringing together more than 1,000 digitized objects, virtual exhibitions, and testimonies from local experts.
Between living traditions and a digital future
This digital transition does not come without challenges. Some guardians of traditions are concerned about seeing sacred rituals exposed on the Internet. Others fear a homogenization of culture, at the expense of its local diversity.
“A balance must be found between respect for traditions and innovation,” emphasizes sociologist Théophile Zinsou. “Digital technology is a tool, not an end in itself. It must serve transmission without betraying it.”
To address these issues, ethics committees have been established, bringing together traditional chiefs, artists, and digital experts. Together, they define the limits of what can be shared, and the conditions under which to do so.
Benin is only at the beginning of this adventure. But already, the country is inspiring its neighbors. Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria are closely watching this hybrid model, where the past illuminates the future through the screen of a smartphone.
What if, in the end, the true cultural revolution were to come not from Silicon Valley, but from the streets of Cotonou?
