beni

Beni is a toponym and cultural term that appears in different contexts, including a place in Africa and a traditional Japanese pigment. The name is also encountered as a personal name in some regions, though the most prominent uses are geographic and artistic.

Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Beni is a city in North Kivu Province and the administrative center of Beni Territory. It lies along the Beni River and functions as a local hub for commerce, governance, and transport within the surrounding rural area. The district around Beni comprises numerous villages and small towns connected by regional roads. Since the 2010s, the area has been affected by armed conflict and humanitarian concerns, influencing security conditions and population movements in the wider North Kivu region.

Beni (color) in Japanese art: In Japanese usage, beni refers to a traditional red pigment used in textiles, lacquerware, and cosmetics. Historically produced from plant-based dyes, notably sappanwood, beni yields a vivid crimson hue that has shaped color naming in Japanese crafts, such asbeni-iro, a term associated with this red color in historical and artistic contexts.

Other uses: The term Beni can appear as a personal name or surname in various cultures, and it may appear in other place names beyond the Congo region, though such uses are less widely documented.