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Films about Fon culture

To soak up Beninese and Fon culture, nothing beats well-chosen films and documentaries. Here are 10 recent (and classic) works for discovering Benin, Vodun and Dahomey.

schedule 5 min
signal_cellular_alt All levels
1
Fiction

5 films to watch

Dahomey (2024)Documentary by Mati Diop
The Woman King (2022)Hollywood, Mino-Amazons
Adoption (2021)Beninese fiction
Le sang des pariasFon drama
GuelwaarSembène, West African setting
2
Documentaries

5 recommended documentaries

Vodun Days (Arte)Ouidah, annual festival
Béhanzin (RTB)Life of the last king
Cotonou la nuitContemporary nightlife
Hohovi (RFI)The cult of twins
Mami Wata (BBC)Pan-African goddess

After the tools, the method: Parlons Fongbe Academy — 79 video lessons with a native speaker.Discover

3
Platforms

Where to watch them

Arte.tvVodun Days, Dahomey
NetflixThe Woman King
YouTubeOriginal Beninese documentaries
TV5 MondeFrench-language films
Canal+ AfriqueLocal productions
tips_and_updates

Recommendation

Start with Dahomey (2024) by Mati Diop, Golden Bear winner in Berlin: 67 minutes to understand the return of looted artworks and contemporary Fon memory.

The screen, a window on Benin

Films and documentaries = instant immersion. 2 hours a week for a month = successful cultural immersion.

Un mɔ nu jɛ mɛ ǎ
« I don’t understand » — lesson 3.1
Parlons Fongbe Academy
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