The Beninese government is seeking to transform what was once a pivotal site along the “Slave Route” into a sprawling port complex named “La Marina,” with the backing of China. This colossal project unfolds in Ouidah, a southern coastal town in Benin located about 40 kilometers from the economic capital Cotonou, and is being built by the state-owned Chinese company Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group.
According to the South China Morning Post, the works are financed by two loans extended by the Bank of China and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, totaling more than €257 million.
The tourist site, which is expected to open this year, features a 3,500-seat open-air arena, a life-size replica of a slave ship, luxury hotels including the Dhawa Ouidah, a four-star 132-room property, as well as 4 kilometers of underwater breakwaters designed to calm the sea for visitors.
Ouidah, a historic site at the heart of the slave trade
If this project is attracting attention, it is also because of the historical weight of the site. Ouidah, a coastal town located about forty kilometers west of Cotonou, was one of the main ports of the transatlantic slave trade.
Nearly 2,000,000 Africans enslaved were taken along the two-kilometer “Slave Route” connecting the place of sale to the beach, before passing through the “Door of No Return,” a monumental triumphal arch that still stands today at the spot where enslaved people boarded. By turning this historic site into a tourist complex, the Beninese government aims to attract Afro-descendant tourists from around the world.
Benin, a new arena of Chinese influence in Africa ?
This project sits within a broader Chinese strategy to expand influence across the African continent. Across Africa, Beijing has stepped up investments in cultural and tourist infrastructures. South China Morning Post recalls in particular funding for Senegal’s National Grand Theater, the Algiers Opera, and the modernization of Ghana’s National Theatre.
In the case of the La Marina project in Benin, it is the government itself that has entrusted the construction of the complex to Chinese state-owned enterprises. In the medium term, Cotonou hopes to raise the number of visitors to 3,000,000 per year.
