Door of No Return

돌아올 수 없는 문

The Door of No Return is a memorial arch on the beach at Ouidah, a town in Benin, West Africa. It is made of concrete and bronze and was built in 1995. It honors the Africans who were enslaved and taken from the slave port of Ouidah across the sea to the Americas.

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At a glance

Country: Benin
Location: Ouidah, Benin
Built: 1995
Type: Monument

Quick answers

Where is Door of No Return?

Door of No Return is in Ouidah, Benin.

When was Door of No Return built?

Door of No Return was built in 1995.

A memorial arch on the beach at Ouidah honouring the Africans taken away in the Atlantic slave trade.

Ouidah was one of the places where enslaved people were sold and shipped away. The arch marks the end of the long Slave Route walk, so visitors stand where so many people took their last steps on African soil. Ouidah is a town in Benin, West Africa, closely tied to Vodun culture.

Who made it

The architect was Yves Ahouen-Gnimon, and several artists helped. Fortuné Bandeira made the columns and the carvings called bas-reliefs, Yves Kpede made the standing Egungun figures, and Dominique Kouas Gnonnou made the bronzes.

Egungun are masked spirit figures from the local Vodun (voodoo) religion, which is part of the culture of this region. Together their works tie the memorial to the traditions of the Vodun religion.

The Slave Route

The memorial is the last of six stops on a path that follows the road enslaved people were forced to walk. The stops are Chacha Square, where people were sold at auction; the Tree of Oblivion, which they circled so they would forget where they came from; Zomai House, where they waited to be shipped; the Zoungbodji memorial, a mass grave; the Tree of Return; and the Door of No Return.

Today the Door is a place to remember and to learn about this history.

Fun facts

The arch stands right on the beach.
One tree on the route, the Tree of Oblivion, was circled by captives who were told they would forget their homeland.
Many local Vodun culture ideas are in its sculptures.