Cobra verde: Werner herzog's 1987 film shot in Abomey

"Herzog wanted to shoot in the real place. Not a set. Not a studio. Where it actually happened." — Production assistant, Cobra Verde

In 1987, a German film crew arrived in Abomey. They came with a volatile star, a director known for pushing limits, and a script about the most controversial chapter in Dahomey's history. They filmed inside the Royal Palaces — the same courtyards where King Ghezo had walked, the same verandas where Glele had received visitors, the same walls covered in bas-reliefs that recorded the kingdom's victories.

The film was Cobra Verde. The director was Werner Herzog. The star was Klaus Kinski. And the production was as chaotic as anything in Herzog's filmography — which is saying something.

The story of cobra verde

Cobra Verde is the loose adaptation of Bruce Chatwin's novel The Viceroy of Ouidah, which itself was based on the real story of Francisco Felix de Sousa, the Brazilian slave trader who became the Chacha of Ouidah in the early 19th century.

De Sousa (played by Kinski) is a Brazilian outlaw who flees to the West African coast and inserts himself into the slave trade, eventually becoming a kingmaker in Dahomey. He helps King Ghezo consolidate power, builds a slave-trading empire, and then watches it crumble as the world turns against the trade.

The real Chacha — the historical Francisco Felix de Sousa — died in 1849 in Ouidah. His descendants still live in Benin, bearing the name De Sousa and occupying the Chacha's old compound. The current Chacha, Honoré de Souza, is a direct descendant.

Herzog was drawn to the story because it captured something he considered universal: the rise and fall of a man who operates outside all moral frameworks, who builds an empire on human misery, and who is ultimately destroyed by his own success.

Shooting on location in Abomey

Herzog was notorious for shooting on location, in difficult conditions, without compromise. For Cobra Verde, he insisted on filming in the actual places where the story had occurred — the beaches of Ouidah, the coast of Ghana (standing in for parts of Brazil), and the Royal Palaces of Abomey.

The palace scenes were filmed inside the actual palace complex. The bas-reliefs that appear in the background are the same ones visitors see today. The courtyards where Kinski walked are the courtyards tourists now photograph. The throne room scenes were filmed in the actual throne room of King Ghezo.

This was not a colonial nostalgia film. It was not a patronising portrait of Africa. Herzog treated the setting with the same intensity he treated everything else — as a real place with real weight.

The extras: Herzog cast locals from Abomey and surrounding villages as extras. Several hundred Beninese men and women appear in the film, playing soldiers, courtiers, slaves, and villagers. Some were descendants of the actual people depicted in the story. Herzog later said that filming with the local extras was one of the most powerful experiences of his career because they did not need to be told how to move or react — they carried the history in their bodies.

Kinski in Abomey: Kinski was at the peak of his volatility during the Cobra Verde shoot. His relationship with Herzog had been deteriorating for years, and this was their final collaboration — both men knew it. In Abomey, Kinski reportedly wandered off into the city alone, startling locals by appearing without his entourage. He argued with Herzog constantly. He refused to do certain scenes. The original cinematographer, Thomas Mauch, quit during production.

And yet the footage from Abomey is some of the most powerful in the film. Kinski, alone in the vast courtyard of the palace, surrounded by bas-reliefs, screaming or laughing or both.

What the film gets right and wrong about Dahomey

Cobra Verde is not a history lesson. It is a Herzog film — which means it is more concerned with existential themes than with historical accuracy. But for its time, it was remarkably careful with its setting.

What it gets right:

• The appearance of the Royal Palaces: the red earth walls, the thatched roofs, the bas-reliefs.
• The political structure of Dahomey: the role of the king, the court, the Agojie (the Amazons).
• The mechanics of the slave trade: the forts, the ships, the negotiation between African and European traders.
• The costume and material culture: the applique textiles, the jewelry, the weapons.

What it gets wrong or simplifies:

• It compresses decades of Dahomey's history into a few years for dramatic effect.
• It exaggerates the power of a single European trader over the kingdom — the real Chacha was influential but never the power behind the throne to the degree shown in the film.
• It portrays Dahomey as a slave-trading state without fully exploring the kingdom's other dimensions — its art, its religion, its social structures.
• The film's violence is graphic and unrelenting, which makes its political point but can feel overwhelming.

Despite these limitations, Cobra Verde remains one of the only major motion pictures to have been filmed on location in the Royal Palaces of Abomey. It is a document of the place as it existed in 1987 — before the Getty restoration, before the UNESCO attention, before the tourist infrastructure.

What remains of the shoot today

Today, visitors to the Royal Palaces walk the same courtyards that Herzog used as sets. The bas-reliefs that appear in the background are still there. The throne of Ghezo is still in the museum. The palace complex has changed very little since 1987.

But the production left something behind in Abomey. Several local people who worked as extras still tell stories of the "German film" — the crazy director, the screaming star, the cameras that appeared in their city and then disappeared.

In Ouidah, the De Sousa family compound still stands. The current Chacha, Honoré de Souza, is aware of the film about his ancestor. He has mixed feelings about it — on one hand, it put the Chacha story on the world stage. On the other, it is a Herzog film, which means it is less biography than fever dream.

Why cobra verde matters for visitors to Abomey

For visitors who know the film, walking through the Royal Palaces is a double experience. You see what every visitor sees — the bas-reliefs, the courtyards, the museum. But you also see what Herzog saw: cinematic space, the scale of the columns, the particular light at certain hours.

A few specific spots are recognizable:

• The great courtyard of the Ghezo palace, where key scenes were shot
• The veranda of Glele, recognizable by its columns
• The throne room (now the museum's main hall)
• The outer walls of the palace complex, used for exterior shots

If you have seen the film, you will recognize them. If you have not, watching it before your visit adds a layer of context that makes the palaces feel even more layered.

The legacy: Herzog and kinski's final act

Cobra Verde was the fifth and final collaboration between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. The other films — Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Nosferatu the Vampyre, Woyzeck, Fitzcarraldo — are among the most celebrated in German cinema.

Cobra Verde is the least known of the five, and the most flawed. But it is also the one that ends the partnership. After the shoot, Kinski and Herzog never worked together again. Kinski died in 1991. Herzog continued making films for decades, but he never returned to Abomey.

What remains is a film that no one would make today — too politically uncomfortable, too morally murky, too willing to show the slave trade from an angle that does not offer easy redemption. But it is also a film that took the Royal Palaces of Abomey seriously as a location, that treated the architecture as sacred space, and that brought the story of Dahomey to a global audience in a way that no documentary could.

FAQ

Is Cobra Verde historically accurate? Not exactly. It is based on the true story of Francisco Felix de Sousa (the Chacha of Ouidah) but takes creative liberties with the timeline and events. Herzog was more interested in existential themes than historical precision.

Where was Cobra Verde filmed? The Africa scenes were filmed on location in Benin (Abomey and Ouidah) and Ghana. The Brazil scenes were shot in Colombia and Brazil. The palace interiors were filmed in the actual Royal Palaces of Abomey.

Can I visit the locations where Cobra Verde was filmed? Yes. The Royal Palaces of Abomey are open to visitors daily. The bas-reliefs, courtyards, and throne room that appear in the film are all accessible. In Ouidah, the De Sousa family compound and the beach where the slave trade scenes were shot can also be visited.

Who was the real Chacha of Ouidah? Francisco Felix de Sousa (1754-1849) was a Brazilian slave trader who settled in Ouidah and became a key intermediary between European slave ships and the Kingdom of Dahomey. His descendants still live in Benin.

Did the people of Abomey appear in the film? Yes. Herzog cast several hundred local extras from Abomey and surrounding villages. They appear in crowd scenes, court scenes, and as soldiers and servants throughout the film.

CTA

Visit Abomey: Walk the same courtyards that Herzog filmed in 1987. Start with the Abomey city guide to plan your visit.

Watch Cobra Verde before you go: The film is available on DVD and streaming. Watching it beforehand adds a cinematic layer to your palace visit.

Explore Ouidah: The Chacha's story continues in Ouidah. Visit the De Sousa compound, the Portuguese fort, and the Door of No Return. Read about the Dahomey slave trade for historical context.

See the bas-reliefs: The walls that appear in the film are the same walls covered in the bas-reliefs of Abomey, which tell the kingdom's history in painted clay.

Deepen your knowledge: The true story of the Chacha is more complex than the film. Read about the Afro-Brazilian returnees and the Agudas for the full picture.