00:00Benin's door of no return. The arch stands on the seafront in the coastal town of Ouida.
00:06It commemorates more than a million people deported from these shores,
00:11crammed onto slave ships bound for the new world.
00:14Now Benin is leaning into this painful past to encourage tourism and awareness.
00:20We want to develop this tourist side of our country because we have a very rich history,
00:26which is largely unknown to the world, and we want to try to showcase it.
00:31So it's really important to have something that catches the eye.
00:35The arch is covered with images of enslaved men and women.
00:39Built in 1995 and standing 17 metres tall, it's become a must-see landmark for visitors.
00:46I've watched a lot of videos or movies and read a lot of things about this place.
00:51So seeing it firsthand and in real time sort of just reinforced that,
00:56Africa has history and there's a lot of things that has happened in the history.
01:00I'm witnessing it. It's so awesome for me.
01:03Ouida is also considered the birthplace and spiritual capital of voodoo.
01:10As visitors pose with snakes draped around their shoulders,
01:14guides explain the reptile's spiritual significance in the animist religion.
01:20Here we don't do mass tourism. We focus on cultural tourism.
01:24We want to help people understand, and we do remembrance tourism linked to the history of slavery.
01:31Tourism currently accounts for about 6% of Benin's GDP.
01:36Authorities are hoping to more than double that within a decade.
01:40They've already launched major infrastructure projects.
01:44Now they're looking to develop the country's cultural wealth.
01:49Because of its history, Benin is a country of great culture and deep historical tradition.
01:57One that has hosted important kingdoms on this very territory
02:01and witnessed a significant moment in the history of humanity, namely the slave trade.
02:09Outgoing president Patrice Talon has been driving investment in tourism.
02:15Now many are hoping his successor will continue the mission.
02:18To be continued...
02:19To be continued...
02:19To be continued...
02:19To be continued...
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