ENTERTAINMENT

 THE WOMAN KING: A PROPER REPRESENTATION OF THE AFRICAN HISTORY? 




With action-packed scenes and deep African societal themes, The Woman King is a spectacle to behold. The Woman King is a historical movie set in the kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin kingdom), during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

During this period, Dahomey is under tribute to the Oyo empire. At this time Dahomey is also renowned for its brave all-woman fighting unit dedicated to protecting the kingdom of Dahomey - the Agojie.  

The Woman King stars actors such as  Viola Davis as Nanisca, the surprisingly teen-looking 31-year-old Thuso Mbedo as Nawi, Lashana Lynch as Izogie, and John Boyega as King Ghezo among others. 

The movie aims to promote feminine power, The Woman King also tackles some uncomfortable themes such as colonialism, greed, and the role of some African people - the Oyo empire and Dahomey- in the slave trade of their fellow Africans to the Europeans.


The movie centers on the role of the Agojie, in ending the slave trade in Dahomey and the Oyo empire. The Woman King follows the story of General Nanisca, the Agojie general,  as she trains the next generation of Agojie recruits and readies them for battle. 

The Agojie led by Gen. Nanisca fights for Dahomey's independence from the Oyo empire and put an end to the slave trade. In the midst of this, the movie also follows the emotional life of Nanisca and the Agojie recruit, Nawi who turn out to be mother and daughter. 


The Woman King is a historical-fictional movie - with all of its characters being fictional except King Ghezo. The Woman King however possesses one major inconsistency in the historical storyline. In the movie, King Ghezo is portrayed to be passionately opposed to the slave trade and he vows to put an end to the practice. 


However, in reality, King Ghezo was a major slaver who ordered frequent military raids on villages in order to get people to trade as slaves to the Portuguese. Contrary to what was portrayed in The Woman King, the slave trade was the main source of Dahomey's wealth and power. King Ghezo never tried to end the slave trade. 


In the 1850s, even after being pressured by the British empire to end his involvement in the slave trade, he still secretly continued till he died. To me, a historical movie should be a total historical movie and not one that portrays a different thing from what happened in history.


 However, historical flaw aside, The Woman King is an exciting and interesting movie that represents Africa to the world. The Woman King is a movie you should definitely see.


FASINA INIOLUWA. 200L

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