“It certainly wasn’t Africa that came up with the idea of the slave trade, but their involvement was a response to an existing, increasing demand.” this quote by Patrick Manning a Professor of World History at the University of Pittsburgh is a great way to introduce the Woman King movie. The subject of this American historical epic film are the Agojie, an all-female warrior unit that defended the West African kingdom of Dahomey from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
The Agojies was believed to be started by Queen Hangbe (ruling
from 1716 to 1718) as she established an all female bodyguard because of her untrust of the men who she believed didn’t want to be ruled by a woman. The Agojies are one of the few female armies that have been documented. Western Europeans who came into contact with them gave them the name "Amazons" in reference to the Amazons, in Greek mythology. The transatlantic slave trade helped establish the dominance of the Kingdom of Dahomey, it is estimated that over hundreds of thousands of people from neighboring tribes and nations were sold to the British, French, Portuguese, and others between the years 1720 and 1852.
While it was mostly fiction, The Woman King has some accurate facts about the Agojies. From their ruthlessness, to the way they were recruited (troubled women), to how they were trained and even their real life enemies. But the biggest controversy surrounding this movie is: Were the Agojies heroes or villains?
Fierce woman leaders being under represented in history, the Agojies show a group of women that not only fought for their king but also protected the entire Kingdom of Dahomey. It contrasts from centuries of narratives on the role and involvement of African women in African History. But there history also brings back the debate of African’s actual involvement in the slave trade. The kidnapping of your own for the purpose of selling them to Europeans in exchange of guns to protect your own. Some can see this as a way of survival, becoming the hunter to not end up as the pray. While others see it as a betrayal of your own people for personal gain.
Personally The Women King was a phenomenal movie, from the beginning to the end! My eyes were glued to the screen the entire time and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I liked the fact that it highlighted two types of woman, the warriors and the queen consort that both impacted the king’s decisions. It introduced me to the story of the Agojies that as an African I had never heard of. This movie not only entertained me but also opened my eyes to new topics such as slavery and the importance of true, authentic African stories to be told by Africans.
Works Cited
Voices of Color on. (2022, September 28). Twitter. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://twitter.com/vocinsider/status/1574891971419643904
Lang, K. (2022, September 12). The Woman King vs. the True Story of Dahomey’s Female Warriors. HistoryvsHollywood.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/woman-king/
Jones, R. (2022, September 14). The warriors of this West African kingdom were formidable—and female. History. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-true-story-of-the-women-warriors-of-dahomey
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, October 19). The Woman King. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_King
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