1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état 1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état The 1963 Dahomey coup d'état was staged on October 28, 1963, by Christophe Soglo, who took control of the Republic of Dahomey to prevent a civil war. He overthrew Hubert Maga, whose presidency faced extreme economic stagnation and a host of other problems. The West African colony of French Dahomey, the present-day nation of Benin, was largely ignored by the French during its colonial era in French West Africa. Dahomey had a weak economy, propelled by the lack of known natural resources. The last time the colony had a favorable trade balance was in 1924. Its
Dahomey from which they gave me liberty to select one hundred and twenty-five as mine offering to brand them for me, from which I preemptorily ["sic"] forbid; commenced taking on cargo of negroes ["sic"], successfully securing on board one hundred and ten." A notable descendant of a slave from this ship is Ahmir Khalib Thompson (American music artist known as Questlove). Mr. Thompson's story is depicted in the PBS Television show "Finding Your Roots" [Season 4, Episode 9]. The military of the Kingdom of Dahomey was divided into two units: the right and the left. The right was controlled by the