Etoile Rouge is less a quiet sight than a piece of Cotonou you pass through: a big traffic circle built around a red-star monument from Benin's Marxist-Leninist years. The star, column, and heroic figure are a blunt reminder of the Mathieu Kerekou period, when public symbolism leaned hard into socialist language.
You do not need long here. The value is in seeing how a political monument has been absorbed into everyday city life, with motos, taxis, vendors, and commuters circling it all day. If you are crossing town, ask the driver to slow down or stop nearby for a quick look.