Étoile Rouge- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Etoile Rouge is a prominent roundabout and historical monument in Cotonou, Benin, built in the 1970s during the country's Marxist-Leninist period under President Mathieu Kérékou. Constructed with Soviet support and inaugurated in 1975, the site features a large red star and a central tower topped by a statue known locally as "Jacob." The statue carries a rifle, a bundle of firewood, and a hoe—symbolizing national defense, everyday energy sources, and agriculture, respectively. Originally inaccessible to the public during the revolutionary era, the square now stands as a reminder of Benin's political past.