Museum of History and Ethnography (Benin)

Based in in Parakou, Benin, Museum of History and Ethnography was established under the direction of applied research institute of Dahomey. The first stone was laid on 11 November 1969 but the work was suspended in March 1974. Its ethnographic collection includes 563 objects inventoried into several categories such as domestic furniture, agricultural tools, forging tools and weaving, traps or barriers, pottery, power attributes, cultural objects, war and hunting weapons, indigenous music instruments, art clothing and objects of archaeology.

In 1999, the state re-launched the building of the museum and focussed on aspects of architecture and ethnography of the museum’s first focus. The museum finally opened its doors to the public on 28 June 2004.

The museum consists of a building that houses educational workshops for children, three other houses and a section that displays the traditional architecture of Borgu . Each house consists of nine round huts that serve as showrooms housing the museum exhibitions and an administrative block. In 2008, a fourth house was being built to accommodate temporary exhibitions.