Door of No Return, Ouidah
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DesignerYves Ahouen-Gnimon, Fortune Bandeira, Yves Kpede, Dominque Kouas Gnonnou
TypeMemorial arch
 Door of No Return, Ouidah | |
 | |
| Location | Ouidah, Benin |
|---|---|
| Designer | Yves Ahouen-Gnimon, Fortune Bandeira, Yves Kpede, Dominque Kouas Gnonnou |
| Type | Memorial arch |
| Material | concrete, bronze |
| Dedicated to | Victims of the Atlantic slave trade |
The Door of No Return is a memorial arch in Ouidah, Benin. The concrete and bronze arch, which stands on the beach, is a memorial to the enslaved Africans who were taken from the slave port of Ouidah to the Americas.
Several artists and designers collaborated with the architect, Yves Ahouen-Gnimon, to realise the project. The columns and bas-reliefs are by Beninese artist Fortuné Bandeira, the freestanding Egungun are by Yves Kpede and the bronzes are by Dominque Kouas Gnonnou.[1][2]
The memorial site is composed of six main stages, all strongly related to the voodoo culture:[3]
- Plaza Chacha: Slave auction plaza
- Tree of Oblivion: Tree circled by slaves to forget their origins
- Zomai House: Where slaves resided awaiting to be shipped out of Africa
- Memorial of Zoungbodji: Mass graveyard where dead slaves were thrown
- Tree of Return: Allow for souls to return
