In order to evaluate the validity of the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) in a Black African context, the MADRS construction study was replicated in Benin (West Africa) following the same initial procedure. Ninety-two Beninese French-speaking, major depressed out-patients were rated with the French version of the CPRS and were administered 75 mg/day clomipramine for 4 weeks. Forty-nine patients were rated at the end of the period. A list of items with a frequency higher than 70% was pre-selected from this data in strict accordance with the Montgomery and Asberg procedure; the ten items most sensitive to change Were then extracted from this list. The new scale shared eight of the ten MADRS items. Only pessimistic and suicidal thoughts, perhaps culture-bound, were absent and replaced in the new list by reported muscular tension and reduced sexual interest. None of the classic African symptoms involving somatic complaints or persecution ideas were selected by the procedure. The interest of using a shortened version of the MADRS, limited to the common eight items, is discussed.