The Door of No Return is a memorial arch in Ouidah, Benin. The concrete and bronze arch, which stands on the beach, is a memorial to the enslaved Africans who were taken from the slave port of Ouidah to the Americas.
Several artists and designers collaborated with the architect, Yves Ahouen-Gnimon, to realise the project. The columns and bas-reliefs are by Beninese artist Fortuné Bandeira, the freestanding Egungun are by Yves Kpede and the bronzes are by Dominque Kouas Gnonnou.
The Ouidah Door of No Return is a historical site in Benin, West Africa. It’s a symbolic representation of the transatlantic slave trade, where enslaved Africans were forcibly taken from the continent to the Americas. The Door of No Return, located in Ouidah, Benin, is believed to be one of the departure points where enslaved individuals were loaded onto ships, never to return to their homeland.
