Queen: The Black Panther Warriors Really Existed!

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King hit theaters yesterday. A feature film hosted by Viola Davis, Tussoo Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atimi and John Boyega. Their prowess and fury have never been matched.

The film follows General Naniska (Viola Davis) as she trains a new generation of recruits and prepares them to fight against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.

This action film, for which the actors underwent rigorous training, is inspired by a true story that is relatively unknown.

Formed in the early 18th century, the Agojie or Mino (meaning “our mothers”) form a military regiment composed exclusively of women. They are responsible for the defense of the West African Kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin region).

This existed for much of the existence of the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600 and 1904). The first group of warriors appeared during the reign of King Hoagbadja (1645-1685).

The first writings about the churches date back to 1729. The nickname “Dahomean Amazons” was given to them by Western Europeans because of their resemblance to the female warriors of Greek mythology.

In the 1840s, this army consisted of 6,000 women. The Agojis were so powerful that even Dahomey’s enemies extolled the “wonderful valor” of his army. This regiment was disbanded at the end of the 19th century by Agoli Agbo, the first president of the country under the French protectorate.

Why is there a female army?

There are several theories about the creation of this female army.

According to the former, the creation of an all-female military regiment became a necessity due to the high number of casualties the kingdom suffered in conflicts with neighboring West African states. This seems to explain the expansion of Agoji during the reign of King Gezo (played John Boyga in a feature film), which have increased from several hundred to several thousand.

Another theory suggests that Agojie’s origins go back to the skilled hunters of Dahomey. In the early 1700s, the latter was recruited to protect the palace during the reign of Queen Hanbe (1708-1711). A palace where men were not allowed…

Thetime I was able to talk to historian Leonard Vanchecon, a professor of politics and international relations at Princeton University, who is currently writing a book containing biographies of more than 50 Agogs. The latter was also the historical advisor for the feature film.

For him, this is an all-female army “Something would still be considered revolutionary today.”

Confrontation

But Agoje was also heavily involved in the triangular trade. Warriors attacked neighboring states to sell prisoners of war to Europeans and Americans as slaves. The slave trade brought Dahomey much of its wealth.

Last August, American journalist Nicole Hanna-Jones, who wrote the first essay on the 1619 project. New York Times whose purpose is to reassess “Effects of Slavery in the United States and Its Weight on the Country’s History”Interested in the presence of this theme in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film.

“It will be interesting to see how the film, which seems to glorify Dahomey’s all-female military, deals with the fact that the kingdom made its wealth from capturing Africans for the transatlantic slave trade..”

The film really deals with this theme, and Naniska, a character played by Viola Davis, works to convince King Gezo to end his involvement in the slave trade – or at least to end Dahomey’s tributary status to the Oyo Empire.

for the director Gina Prince BytwoodIt was essential to discuss this topic A female king. He explains The Hollywood Reporter:

“When I went to the movie, these were the first conversations. We will tell the truth, we are not afraid of anything.

But we’re also telling a part of the story about overcoming adversity and standing up for what’s right. And I think we did it right.“

The cinematic theme is made possible thanks to Marvel…

Comedian and producer Maria Bello, who wrote The Story of the King’s Woman, discovered Agoji’s existence in 2015 during a trip to Benin.

The latter immediately saw the cinematic appeal of such a story and talked about it with producer Cathy Shulman. Viola Davis, then a director, joined the project.

The latter explains Los Angeles Times I struggled to get a big budget for this film: “It was a constant struggle to convince the studios that we deserved the big budget, that we deserved to tell a story like this.“.

When asked by AlloCiné why this story, which was so cinematic, had never been tackled in cinema before, Gina Prince Bytwood Answer:

“Hollywood doesn’t want to show other cultures. I’ve never heard of this story before and I think the same goes for most people. So the opportunity to tell Agozhi’s story was very exciting. “

The latter adds:

The existence of The Woman King in Hollywood is a miracle, and if this film is successful, it will open the door for other stories in this genre.

And if a feature film could be made, it is largely due to the success of Black Panther, which proved that a film with a black cast can win at the box office. Marvel was also inspired by Agoji to create the Dora Milaje, the warriors of Wakanda.

During our discussion with Gina Prince-Bythewood, the latter explains: “Black Panther created a female king. With its incredible success, Ryan Coogler’s film changed perception and changed the game in Hollywood.

The success of this film showed all the possibilities and value of our story. We’ve always been rooting for The Female King to happen, but Hollywood needed proof. Thanks to Black Panther we have the green light.”

The Female King will hit theaters from Wednesday, September 28.