Place du Souvenir, Memorial monument in Haie Vive district, Cotonou, Benin.
Place du Souvenir stands at the corner of rue 390 and the route de l'aéroport, in Cotonou's Haie Vive district. Its monument, inaugurated on 16 January 1979, shows three concrete figures — two men and one woman — holding weapons and the flag of Benin, their bare torsos and marked facial expressions mixing antique style with revolutionary imagery. A vehicle tunnel passes beneath the monument, and a small gallery there displays photographs and works by artists.
The monument was built following an armed attack on the city in 1977 that claimed the lives of several defenders. It was officially opened two years later in 1979 to preserve this event within the nation's collective memory.
The name place des Martyrs was given to the monument honouring the seven Beninese who died on 16 January 1977, six soldiers and one civilian: Thotho Paulin, M'po Pascal, Bambotché Abiodun, Comlan Sylvain, Lassissi Yessoufou, Alassan Kassim and Mathieu M. Tossou. The monument was inaugurated on 16 January 1979, the second anniversary of the attack.
The site is easily accessible throughout the day and sits near restaurants and local amenities. Visitors should note that the main plaza is for foot traffic, while the vehicle tunnel serves the road network passing underneath.
The monument was erected with support from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and inaugurated on 16 January 1979, two years to the day after the mercenary attack. A tunnel for vehicles passes beneath the monument, and inside it a small gallery displays photographs and works by artists.
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