Greene traveled to Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, when she was in the Peace Corps in the early 1970s. While she was there, Greene discovered the works of photographer Pierre Verger. Verger’s works captured the traditions of Benin that Greene herself had seen practiced.

In spring 2012, she spent a month researching Verger’s work in Brazil and decided to make a project of her own. She wanted to revisit the subjects of Verger’s work.

“I went back to Dahomey and photographed some of the same places, activities and — in some cases — families that he photographed,” Greene said.

Greene went back to Benin looking for stories to see what was different between what Verger had done and what she was doing.

“I took his photographs in a notebook and showed them to people, and through that, people were able to identify locations and families and events, so it opened up a lot of other possibilities,” Greene said.

Verger’s photographs and Greene’s photographs, with story captions, are displayed side-by-side in the MSU Museum so people can compare and contrast the way the culture has changed or remained the same through the years.

Through all of the research, Greene said she has found that although much has changed in terms of how the people of Benin live, the core traditions still live on amongst their people.

The exhibit focuses more on positive traditions in that part of Africa. Candace Keller, assistant professor of art history and an expert on African art and West African photography, said she thinks this will give people a better perception of the area.

“It’s a good thing to raise awareness of contemporary cultural practices and urban realities in Africa,” Keller said. “(It’s a perspective) which (is) different than what is repeated in news media and popular culture in the United States.”

The exhibit will run in the MSU Museum until April 27.