Benin has played a major role in the Slave trade in the 17-th and 18-th century. From that period you will find many monuments reminding the traveler of the tragic sort of those deported to the West Indies and Brazil.

After that the French have colonialized the country and the have left a profound mark on the country. It is in many aspects a very French country. Cotonou even has its own Boul' Mich and you will see Beninois walking there with a baguette under one arm and a French newspaper under the other.