Danses de féticheuses (Dahomey) (5)

Fortier was born in Nantes, France in 1862 and became interested in photography at an early age. He moved to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in 1886 and opened a photography studio, specialising in portraits and landscapes. In 1900, Fortier began to focus on documentary photography, capturing the daily life and culture of the Vietnamese people. He travelled extensively throughout the country, documenting everything from street scenes to religious ceremonies. Fortier's photographs were highly regarded for their technical excellence and artistic composition. He won numerous awards for his work, including a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900. Fortier's photographs are now considered an important historical record of Vietnam in the early 20th century. They offer a glimpse of a time and place that has since been transformed by war and modernisation. Fortier died in Saigon in 1928, but his legacy lives on through his photographs, which continue to inspire and educate people around the world.

Benin is a country in West Africa, bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west and Niger to the north-east. The capital is Porto-Novo, but the largest city is Cotonou. The official language is French and the currency is the West African CFA franc. Benin has a population of about 12 million and covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres. The country is known for its rich cultural heritage, including the kingdom of Dahomey, which was renowned for its powerful army and intricate artwork. Today, Benin is a developing country with agriculture and trade as its main economic activities. It is important to note that Benin has a dark history as a major centre of the African slave trade. Many people from the region were captured and sold into slavery, with the city of Ouidah being one of the main departure points for slaves transported across the Atlantic. Today, Benin is working to preserve and honour its cultural heritage, while acknowledging and addressing the atrocities of its past. Benin gained independence from France in 1960 and has had a stable democratic government ever since. The country has made progress in improving education and healthcare, but still faces challenges such as poverty and corruption.