People's Republic of Benin People's Republic of Benin The People's Republic of Benin () was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which would become present-day Benin. The People's Republic was established on 30 November 1975, after the 1972 coup d'état in the Republic of Dahomey. It effectively lasted until 1 March 1990, with the adoption of a new constitution, and the abolition of Marxism-Leninism in the nation in 1989. On 26 October 1972, the army led by Commander Mathieu Kérékou overthrew the government, suspended the constitution and dissolved both the National Assembly and the Presidential Council. On
History of the Kingdom of Dahomey Viceroy of Ouidah (1980) is largely based around Francisco Felix de Sousa, the slave trader who helped bring King Ghezo to power. The book resulted in the film adaptation "Cobra Verde" (1987) by Werner Herzog. Ben Okri's novel "The Famished Road" (1991), which won the Man Booker Prize, tells the story of a person caught in the slave trade through Dahomey. Behanzin's resistance to the French has been central to a number of works. Jean Pliya's first play "Kondo le requin" (1967), winner of the Grand Prize for Black African History Literature, tells the story of Behanzin's resistance. Maryse Condé's