The Republic of Benin celebrates its accession to national and international sovereignty on 1is August 1960. Remembering this historic date, we must also remember the symbols that marked these eras.
The date of August 1 1960 is a memorable date for all Beninese, whatever their political affiliation and their generations. Everyone recognizes this and prides themselves on being in an independent country.. It has been like this for several decades. Regarding August 1st, for example, authorities at various levels do not remain on the sidelines. Starting from the President of the Republic, to the peasants in the hamlets, no one wants to have the event of the day counted. The written and audio-visual media also play their part. They are at the forefront to relay the event every year. The head of state being the first citizen of the country is the happiest of all, That day. He receives congratulations from around the world from friendly countries.
On the national level, no social layer is abandoned. The police and soldiers particularly liven up the party with their different music to the rhythm of the enemies' songs of glory and defiance.. Veterans of the world wars still alive also come there to shine., despite the weight of age. Which shows that it is truly the celebration of an entire people. And, we are sure it will be like this for a long time.
The meaning of the Republic and its symbols
Generations will always remember this day and the first president who proclaimed the independence of the Republic of Dahomey (today Republic of Benin). The name of President Hubert K. MAGA will never disappear from the people's memory, national and international archives. Despite this, the square which served as a setting to host this August 1st event 1960 : place of “the proclamation of the independence of Benin”, in Porto-Novo political capital, is abandoned by the State. Car, this place is in a dilapidated state to the point that some people have taken over a large part of the site to make it private property. The city authorities know it too, but they remained without taking action to move them from there. We have the impression that everyone is willing to see this place disappear from the map of the city of Porto-Novo and from the history of the country.. Too bad ! Is it because no one understands the meaning and meaning of what a Republic is? ? Elites are still there ! We can't let this continue. Il faut que l’État prenne ses responsabilités pour réhabiliter cette place mémorable sur sa superficie initiale de 1960. However, we cannot incriminate only the populations. There is also the laxity of the State which has led to this sad observation for decades. If the populations do not know the meaning of the Republic, the authorities are supposed to know. We cannot collectively forget to the point of abandoning such a place in a Republic like that of Benin.
Everyone is talking about the rehabilitation of the city of Porto-Novo, the political capital of Benin, more, we abandon such a political and historical place in the country. People refused to talk about it because of their selfish interests. It's sad ! While no one will do it for us. We must leave a good historical legacy to future generations. Citizens and lawyers are also involved. All specialized bodies, sociologists and historians cannot be put aside. Il faut venir au secours pour la protection des lieux historiques du pays. Le 1er août, Benin independence day, is also celebrated to remember the struggles and sufferings of our ancestors, and our former leaders from the time of French colonization. And, that’s a homeland. Old and new generations alike must remember all the struggles of the elites of the past and present., to perpetuate their actions and in turn commit to defending the homeland which is unique and indivisible.
Young people who were born decades after independence are proud to also participate in the festive moments of August 1, every year, whatever their age. This holiday brings them joy, joy and also remembrance. For others, it is a memory of sadness when they see the pitiful state in which the Independence Square remains. It is also a day of challenge for the march towards progress. For that, broadcasts are broadcast on television and radio channels to remind people of the history of the country's independence, as well as the great men who left their mark. Chacun doit jouer sa partition pour valoriser les anciennes gloires et révéler le Bénin. Il est évident que la date du 1er août est très importante pour le pays. So, we can wonder if Benin can only remember the date August 1st 1960. Are there no other memorable dates ? Could we ask ourselves. We think there are many others like the date of 4 December 1958. Each of them is indicative of a major event for the country.
The square of the PLM Alédjo hotel
Indeed, among the abandoned places, there is the place of the PLM Alédjo hotel which housed the historic National Conference of Living Forces, in February 1990. This place is a symbol for the Republic. More, no one understands why he was also abandoned in a pitiful state right after the conference. No regime is more interested. He was forgotten, can we say more than thirty years later. The regime of rupture must act to get the people to abandon this behavior of “collective forgetting”. We must put an end to this illness of collective amnesia which benefits neither the country nor the people. It is time to take the files out of the justice closets to definitively put an end to these practices of public incivility in the country.
A look at the previous laxity at the top of the state
The populations remember that in addition to the public domains of the State which are suffering, there was the sell-off of the Conseil de l’Entente estate in Cotonou. The Conseil de l’Entente was, however, the first sub-regional organization between five French-speaking West African states. : Benign, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger and Togo. More, the Beninese authorities at the time had deliberately chosen, because of their almost selfish personal interests, to cede the domain of the Council of the Entente to the United States of America to house their diplomatic and cultural representation headquarters. While in the other four Member States, their domains are still under state ownership. They are not sold either to nationals or to foreign powers. This is paradoxical in Benin, car, the State needs land to erect new public buildings for the administration or for the benefit of various institutions. Despite these obvious needs, this area has been sadly sold off. What sickens, the bruised and silent people still remember it. Yet this had happened without any opponent having said a word until now. The deputies in the National Assembly at the time who were not described as monotonous, and civil society organizations had not denounced the operation. However, no explanation was provided to the people to associate them with this unjust act.. The leaders had ignored the limits of their freedom. We have the impression that authorities, in a concerted manner, had committed acts out of “ignorance” against their own country and their people. Too bad ! While in Western countries, their authorities at various levels have always worked by all means to safeguard the interests of their country and their people. They do not cede any portion of land at random either to a friendly country or to a competitor. Even a small island, colonized or not, always remains under strategic control of geopolitics.
Should Benin have friends or interests ?
We must go to the Western diplomatic school to better strengthen the safeguarding of historic places and public heritage in the interest of Benin for even more grandiose celebrations.. And the Head of State, Patrice Talon has already taken steps with the return of historical cultural goods.
Todjo Julien HOUNDOLO, Writer-researcher