The authorities of Benin have succeeded in removing from the auction in Paris the symbols of power that belonged to King Behanzin of Dahomey and taken from Africa to France more than 130 years ago, the South African radio station SABC reported.
The decision was taken after the president of Benin demanded from the organizers of the auction not to sell relics of the kingdom of Dahomey, which was located in West Africa on the current territory of Benin and Togo, noted the radio station.
The auction included, among other things, a wooden scepter of King Behanzin, depicting a hand clutching the liver of a defeated enemy.
The King's relics were taken from Africa to France more than 130 years ago. It is not yet known whether the Beninese government intends to demand the return of the national relics from France.
Behanzin was elevated to the throne of Dahomey in 1889 and left five years after his defeat in the war against the French colonial forces. At that time, some of the royal treasures, including the regalia, were taken to France.
The king spent the rest of his life in exile, first in Martinique and then in Algeria, where he died. In 1906, his ashes were returned to his homeland and buried in the former capital of the kingdom, Abomey.