Professional Documents
Culture Documents
King Gbehanzin Palace
King Gbehanzin Palace
King Gbehanzin Palace
Edited by
JUNZO KAWADA
Anthropologist
Cover photograph
Sacred baobab tree planted
by King Gbehanzin before
the conflict with the
French troops
Hereunder
The adjalala, the reception
hall of the King
Preface
Koïchiro Matsuura Kan to gbe nu e no gbe kan do
Director-General of UNESCO [It is at the end of the rope woven by the father that the child
starts to weave his own].
King Gbehanzin
© Musée des Armées
I t was very fortunate that Benin was the first African
country to have the honour to benefit from a financing
support from the UNESCO/Japan Fund in Trust for World Herit-
age, for the restoration of one of the country’s major heritage
sites, the Palace of Gbehanzin, king of Dahomey. It is also by
chance that the restoration came to an end at the same time
as the celebration to mark the centenary of the king’s death
that took place in December 1906 in Algiers.
Beyond borders, civilisations, languages or time, Cultural Facing this reality, the Japanese Government decided to deploy
Heritage bonds mankind together, creating a brotherly link. a mission to Abomey in collaboration with UNESCO, to develop
Cultural heritage transmits the history and memory of mankind a restoration project for the site with the participation of
to future generations, and its traces offer an absolutely unique relevant experts who eventually participated in the execution
view of the various cultures that make up our world. of the project. Several discussions and dialogues were held
with the Beninese Government and representatives of the
However, at this present time and on each continent, there community in order to examine how assistance could be
still exist various remains, historic monuments or other rendered through the Japanese Fund-in-Trust. This resulted
heritage in danger of disappearance, as a result of their in the activities which were carried out by UNESCO and which
extreme state of degradation. All this cultural heritage are presented today in this superb brochure.
belongs to the entire mankind and it is necessary to rapidly
take appropriate protective measures. The Royal Palaces of Abomey still remain on the World
Heritage List in Danger. On the occasion of the publication
In reaction to this situation, the Japanese government of this brochure, I would like to express the wish to see more
created, in 1989, the “Fund-in-Trust for the preservation of and more people testify of their interest in this unique site,
world cultural heritage” at UNESCO, in order to contribute to and in their turn, participate in preservation and promotional
the protection of remarkable cultural sites, be they historic activities for Abomey.
monuments or archaeological remains.
Since the rule of Houegbadja (1645-1685), each King built his “… We are in Singbo, in front of the Adjalala of Gbehanzin
palace next to that of his predecessor, along a north-south- and you know that the kings cannot do anything without the
west axis, directed towards Adja-Tado and following the line Ifa” (statement of Gbehanzin Agboyidu, July 1995, recorded
of expansion of the kingdom. by Tito Spini).
The palace, in this context, represents the uniqueness of “Looking in the direction of Tado, the axis of reference, the
the royal person as a central point within the universe; the predictions that the Ifa had made in Houégbadja are ac-
centre of gravity of the political life where the great annual complished - the palaces shall continue up to the tenth wall
ceremonies and the celebrations take place, for the king is (with the tenth king) and not any further. A building, the
the absolute monarch, the epicentre of political, economic Adjalala of Gbehanzin (built in the 1950’s by the descend-
and social activities. ants of the dethroned king) closes a chapter in history, and
represents the material presence which combines anthro-
“Master of the living, Semedo, Master of the world, pological, historical and metaphorical languages by trans-
Ayrhunnon, Master of pearls, Jexasu, Master of wealth, lating them into spaces. ”
Dokumon… ”
But this palace remains a living place whose history is a lan-
The palace is the central security zone for the kingdom, and guage of signs, symbols and matter, a space where history
plays an important role in the economic, social and spatial is reconstructed through a combination of micro-histo-
organization of the kingdom’s defence. ries, secret and local history and official history,
where meaning is reflected through the decoding
The palace of Gbehanzin has a unique symbolic of symbols, the study of orientation, construc-
dimension within the Royal complex. Not only tion techniques, the placement of
does it bear testimony to a period of rule, it the bas-reliefs and the mystical
also represents an active and itinerant re- and supernatural links existing
sistance in the eye of the Beninese general between the buildings and their
public and the local communities. It rep- environment (sacred trees, rituals,
resents and incarnates the bravery and sacred places and temples).
the heroism of prince Kondo, who seized
the power in 1889, under the name of Here, time is discontinuous, and space is
Gbè han zin (Gbehanzin). He had to face continuously rebuilt through the ritual
the French troops in order to defend the practices and the spoken words. The his-
sovereignty of his kingdom and resisted torical continuity between the different
to the colonial influence over a period of Zoomorphic wooden statue
places is a space-time circle, always mo- representing a shark, the main
several years. bile, dynamic and in accordance with the divinity symbol of King Gbehanzin
The adjalala of
King Gbehanzin
after restoration
Ayido Xuédo, the crowned snake which biting its own tail that
incarnates at once the concepts of movement, permanence
and continuity.
The École du Patrimoine Africain (School of African Heritage) The royal families were involved in its realization. Through
also contributed to train three museum staff members in the the presentation of various types of documents, including
techniques of preventive conservation and management written data, photographs and objects, the visitors are given
(between November 11 and December 5, 2003). access to a flexible vision of an evolving history, a mix of mi-
To enhance the guiding and accessibility of the visitors, the cro-histories and the dynamic reading of space. Elements of
creation of a historical interpretation centre within the pal- oral history remain essential, along with the characteristic
ace has been envisaged. This centre could be located in the gestures and ritual uses of the different places and objects.
adjalala (royal reception room) and surrounded by a concise
exhibition consisting of reproductions of sketches, charts, Inside the museum space, the daily circulation of the visi-
engravings and photographs to illustrate the life and work of tors is periodical and in harmony with the royal site while
King Gbehanzin, as well as the main stages of rehabilitation respecting its off-limits areas. The two temples will be made
and restoration of the site. sacred again through a traditional ritual, in honour of the
revered spirit of the late king.
This exhibition offers:
• A double approach, featuring the local historical interpreta- In conclusion, I would like to say that we have been hoping
tions (oral traditions) and the official history of the site; to restore the site of king Gbehanzin since 1985, date of the
• An introduction to traditional construction technologies inscription of the Royal Palaces on the World Heritage List.
and know-how, associated with historical building resto- Twenty years later, this hope materialized and was realized
ration techniques. thanks to the efforts of UNESCO, the generosity of the Japa-
nese Government and the devotion of the team of experts
The entry gate who each offered their full support and knowledge through
after restoration this common effort.
Libations made by
two new princesses at
the entry gate
of the palace at the
occasion of their
enthronisation
13
Aerial view showing
the palace located at
the southern end of the
overall 47 ha site
© Orthophoto, 2005
Restoration of the Palace
Aimé GONCALVES
Conservation Architect
The huts
Within the enclosure of the palace, there are five huts:
honnuwa, Tassinonho, Logodo, Adjalala, Dehoxo. They were
built from unbaked earth or earth bricks mixed with cement
and capped with iron sheets. The huts were in a rather
advanced state of degradation.
Their restoration was carried out over an eight-month period,
using traditional construction techniques. The work involved
the consolidation of the foundations, the treatment of cracks,
the repair of joineries, floors, roof structure and covering.
Adjalala,
The bas-reliefs after The bas-reliefs
stabilisation
The meticulous study of the condition of the sixty-seven
bas-reliefs which adorn the Adjalala of the palace made
it possible to observe that the majority of them had dust,
earth drips, gaps on the bottom of the niche and traces of
insect attacks on the relief. It was also observed that certain
portions were missing from the painted parts.
Generally, the following treatments were carried out:
It was also noted that the most degraded bas-reliefs were • An emergency treatment of each bas-relief by pre-
those located at the base of the wall of the main elevation, consolidation of the degraded zones of the pictorial layer
particularly the bas-reliefs shaped in the form of a shark. with an adhesive which removed dust from the bas-relief
Restoration work was completed with the support of about and niche,
fifteen craftsmen trained on the site under the supervision of • The filling of the gaps with a mixture of earth and water;
a technician trained by the Getty Conservation Institute. • The cleaning of spots with water and alcohol;
• The removal of salts;
After the documentation of each bas-relief through a • The fixing of the scales with adhesive solution;
summarization of its identification and description, specific • The retouching, using fine earth, kaolin and pigments to
treatments were applied depending on their state of harmonize the colour of the niche.
degradation.
Among the restored bas-reliefs, those located at the base of
Stabilisation
of bas-relief the walls of the Adjalala and which were damaged underwent
© A Gonçalves special protection treatments in addition to the measures
already carried out on the coverings.
At the level of the principal entry, two columns of bas-reliefs
received colour washes obtained from plants and traditional
mixtures. This was carried out as a demonstration of the
use of traditional paints - a know-how in the process of
disappearance that needs to be preserved at all costs.
18
Training construction and preventive conservation techniques in
Three types of theoretical and practical training on order to ensure the maintenance of the buildings of the
conservation techniques were organized during the project, royal palaces and their associated sites.
along the following themes:
• Training on the built structures and the bas-reliefs; The training sessions were delivered by a conservation
• Training on the roof frames and roof coverings; architect, Aimé Gonçalves, a maintenance technician in
• Training on the drainage and maintenance. charge of the museum buildings, Dorothé Mizéhoun, and a
Taking into account the interest generated by the programmed research architect, Gaël Kpotogbé Amoussou.
themes, sensitization meetings were held with about sixty The anticipated results were reached taking into account the
young craftsmen from the localities of Abomey, Bohicon, and nature of the services carried out by the participants on the
Huwawe, resulting in effective and massive participation. various components of the palace.
The training had the following aims:
• To prevent the progressive disappearance of traditional Documentation
know-how in the field of construction; The various stages of restoration were enriched by a collection
• To train more craftsmen in the traditional techniques of of photographs of each of the components of the palace.
Photos © A Gonçalves
20
The adjalala of
King Gbehanzin,
before restoration,
1997
after restoration,
2006
21
Historical context of the life of King Gbehanzin
Junzo Kawada
Anthropologist
Having refused the invasion of his territory by the French In sum, the territorial expansion and the blooming of the
soldiers, king Gbehanzin, after long, courageous but royal culture of Dahomey were largely dependent on the
25
Cover and internal page
of the French newspaper
“le petit journal”
Cover page of the with illustrations showing
French Newspaper some scenes of the battle
“l’intransigeant” against King Gbehanzin
showing the army of King
Gbehanzin and his amazons.
Note :
1
Lovejoy, P. E., “The Volume of the Atlantic Slave Trade: A Synthesis”, Slavery and Abolition, 4
(2), 1983.
Challenges for the future
Junzo Kawada
Anthropologist
27
Acknowledgements
UNESCO expresses its profound recognition to the Authors
Government of Japan for its generous financial This publication was written under the scientific
assistance to the realization of this publication. coordination of Professor Junzo Kawada,
Anthropologist, Japan.
The coordination team wishes to extend their
gratitude to the following personalities, who Contributions
through their support have contributed to the Rachida de Souza, Anthropologist, Benin.
realization of this publication: Aimé Gonçalves, Architect, Benin.
His Exc. Olabiyi B.J. Yai, permanent Delegate Giovanna Antognini, Anthropologist, Italy.
of Benin to UNESCO, His Exc. Seiichi Kondo, Giovanni Tito Spini, Architect, Italy.
permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, Mr. Junzo Kawada, Anthropologist, Japan.
Noureini Tidjani-Serpos, Assistant Director- coordination
General of UNESCO for Africa, Ms. Françoise Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Programme Specialist,
Rivière, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
for Culture, Mr. Francesco Bandarin, Director of
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mr. Kishore Rao, Transalation from the french version
Deputy Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Leticia Delboy, Thierry Joffroy, CRATerre-ENSAG.
Mr. Akio Arata, Chief for Bilateral Government
Funding Sources of UNESCO and Mrs. Elizabeth choice of illustrations and layout
Wangari, Chief of Africa Section of UNESCO World Arnaud Misse and Thierry Joffroy, CRATerre-ENSAG.
Heritage Centre. Photograph credits
All pictures from CRATerre-ENSAG collection
Significant contributions at the different stages except when stipulated with contributions by J.
of the elaboration of this publication were also Kawada, A. Gonçalvès, D. Mizehoun, Musée du Quai
made by: Nicolas Ago, Bienvenu Akora, Léonard Branly, Musée des Armées, Orthophoto.
Ahonon, Anne du Chastel, Monique Couratier,
Lamine Diagne, Cécile Duvelle, Thierry Joffroy, Restoration project – partners
Leila Maziz, Fumiko Ohinata, Marie Renault, Ministère de la Culture, de la Jeunesse, des Sports
Akatsuki Takahashi, Nabeshima Tokuko, Akiko et des Loisirs, Benin,
Watanabe, Jana Weydt, Reiko Yoshida. Government of Japan,
UNESCO.
Funding
UNESCO/Japan Fund-in-Trust for the preservation
of World Heritage.