Dahomey Tribe Controversy: The Woman King, a new film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Viola Davis, is a chronicle of Black female power. It follows the Agojie, fierce female warriors in the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s, as they face off against enemies who threaten their way of life.
However, since its release last week, some fans have criticized the film for downplaying the kingdoms role in the transatlantic slave trade, calling for a boycott due to historical inaccuracies.
The true history of Agojies involvement in Dahomeys slave trade is complicated. While the Dahomey Amazons were symbols of strength and power, influencing films such as Black Panther, they were also complicit in the capture, creation, and sale of other Africans.
On the one hand, these women are regarded as national heroes because they were among the strongest warriors capable of defending African society. However, depending on where you are in society, you may have a different perspective on their historical role Insider spoke with Patrick Manning, a professor of world history at the University of Pittsburgh.
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One of the largest exporters of enslaved Africans
In the 17th century, Dahomey rose to power as a centralized and militarised West African kingdom. The kingdoms power did not grow until the 18th century, at the height of the Atlantic slave trade.
Dahomey conquered the coastal Kingdom of Hueda in 1727, seizing control of the port city Ouidah. This would become its main trading post with European powers, and it would also mark the beginning of its active participation in the slave trade.
According to Manning, Dahomey quickly became a key player in the trafficking of Africans, which proved to be one of the most profitable exports at the time. Dahomeys armies captured people from nearby kingdoms and villages, armed with muskets obtained from foreign nations through the export of slaves and other goods.
The European demand for cheap labor fueled Dahomeys involvement in the slave trade. Africans were left with few options: would they take advantage of this opportunity to steal and sell people, flee, or fight back against foreign powers? Africa certainly did not invent the slave trade, but their participation was a response to an existing, increasing demand, Manning explained.
Between 1659 and 1863, historians estimate that nearly 1 million enslaved Africans were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas in Ouidah, making the port city the second largest supplier of African captives to the trade.
The Agojie Aided Dahomeys Military
Dahomey was ruled by King Ghezo, who ascended to power in 1818 following a coup against his half-brother. Ghezo, seeing an opportunity to increase Dahomeys military and financial power, formed a partnership with Francisco Flix de Sousa, a Brazilian merchant and slave trader who established a post in the port city of Ouidah, according to Manning. The Agojie warriors were instrumental in Ghezos campaign to expand through the export of Africans.
The all-women battalion was founded in the 17th century by King Houegbadja, Dahomeys third king. (According to some accounts, the Agojie was founded by Houegbadjas daughter, Queen Hangbe, who is said to have enlisted female bodyguards to protect her.) The warriors were forbidden from having children or marrying and were subjected to rigorous training. They raided villages at night and executed prisoners as quickly as they could.
The Agojie reached their zenith and became increasingly militaristic under Ghezo, who formally incorporated them into Dahomeys army. The kingdom was embroiled in ongoing wars, which resulted in a decline in the male population and an opportunity for women to fill gaps on the battlefield.
Manning claims that the Agojie were sent out on annual campaigns to conquer neighboring kingdoms and capture slaves for trade. They also aided in the swift suppression of slave conspiracies or rebellions before they erupted into violent uprisings.
According to Manning, African kingdoms had rules against enslaving people within their own domain but went to war every year to enslave others. They didnt speak the same language and lived a long distance apart. They were perceived as distinct, as adversaries Manning explained.
The End of The Dahomey Kingdom
According to Manning, the slave trade became less profitable in Dahomey and other African kingdoms beginning in the 1830s. Instead, they began to focus on exporting palm oil, which was used to manufacture soap in Europe.
During the 1830s and 1840s, Ghezo was in a bit of a pickle: even though slave prices were falling, you could still make good money selling slaves, which was still more profitable than selling palm oil, Manning explained.
Nonetheless, even the production of palm oil necessitated the use of captured Africans. After years of pressure from the British government, which had abolished slavery in its colonies in 1833, King Ghezo finally agreed to end Dahomeys participation in the slave trade in 1852.
Until 1892, when the French conquered the kingdom and disbanded the warriors, the Agojie remained a significant military force. According to Leonard Wantchekon, an economist at Princeton University and a Benin native, French colonizers barred women from political leadership, warrior service, and educational opportunities.
The French made certain that this history was not known, Wantchekon explained. They said we were backward and needed to be civilized, but they destroyed opportunities for women that existed nowhere else in the world.
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