Étoile Rouge

Étoile Rouge (Place de l’Étoile-Rouge) is one of Cotonou’s most recognizable urban monuments and major road junctions. Built during Benin’s revolutionary period in the 1970s, the landmark features a huge red five-pointed star surrounding a central tower topped by a statue known locally as “Jacob.” The figure carries a rifle, a bundle of firewood and a hoe, representing different aspects of the period’s political and social symbolism.