A00108 - Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o

Last night I watched Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o




Instead of The Woman King, I would encourage everyone to watch this documentary.  The journey taken by Lupita Nyong'o took an all too evident toll on her soul.  I encourage everyone to watch and see why.

Ultimately, the journey that Lupita Nyong'o took is a journey which, I believe, we all should take.  If we did, then perhaps, we too could come to the same destination where Lupita Nyong'o now appears to reside.

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Fairfield, California
January 6, 2023

-----Original Message-----
From: skipjen2865@aol.com
To: 
Sent: Wed, Jan 4, 2023 2:46 am
Subject: The Woman King




Happy New Year, Everyone!

Over the weekend, I watched The Woman King. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_King

The Woman King is a rousing movie with a stand out performance by Viola Davis as the woman warrior who would become The Woman King. 

While I marveled at the performances, especially the performance of Viola Davis, I found myself troubled by what I perceived to be the "revision" of history set forth in the movie.  The major thrust of The Woman King is that the women warriors of Dahomey were fighting to stop the enslavement of their fellow Africans.  However, I knew while watching the movie that such was not true.  

As the wikipedia article notes:

888888

The Woman King is set in the kingdom of Dahomey in the year 1823.[6] The kingdom existed from around 1600 through 1904, and the Agojie existed for most of that time.[60]
The film has been described as historically inaccurate by the president of the American Historical Association: "the film The Woman King seems to suggest that Dahomey’s female warriors and King Ghezo fought the European slave trade. In fact, they promoted it. Historically accurate rendering of Asante or Dahomean greed and enslavement apparently contradict modern-day political imperatives".[61]
*****
Viola Davis plays the Agojie general Nanisca, who is fictional. History vs. Hollywood speculated her name was inspired by an Agojie teenage recruit of the same name who was written about by a French naval officer in 1889. John Boyega plays King Ghezo, a real-life figure who ruled Dahomey from 1818 to 1858 and engaged in the Atlantic slave trade through the end of his reign. Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays the white Portuguese-speaking slave trader Santo Ferreira who is fictional and portrayed as an enemy to Ghezo. History vs. Hollywood said the character was "possibly loosely inspired" by Francisco Félix de Sousa, a Brazilian slave trader who in actuality helped Ghezo gain power.[60]

*****

Historically, Dahomey was a kingdom that conquered other African states and enslaved their citizens to sell in the Atlantic slave trade, and most of the kingdom's wealth was derived from slavery. The Agojie had a history of participating in slave raiding, and slavery in Dahomey persisted after the British Empire stopped Dahomey from continuing in the Atlantic slave trade.[60]
In the film's setting of the 1820s, Nanisca confronts Ghezo about the immorality of selling Dahomey slaves to the Portuguese and suggests trading in palm oil production instead.[41] Nanisca being fictional, the confrontation did not take place. Smithsonian wrote, "Though Ghezo did at one point explore palm oil production as an alternative source of revenue, it proved far less lucrative, and the king soon resumed Dahomey’s participation in the slave trade."[62]
Following the announcement that she would star in the movie, Lupita Nyong'o became involved in production of the documentary, Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o. Over the course of filming of the documentary, Nyong'o learned the extent of Agojie involvement in the Atlantic slave trade, later relating, "The Agojie women were involved in the slave trade and that has changed the dynamics and polarization of Benin to this day."[63] Several sources have speculated Nyong'o's departure from the making of The Woman King was due to her experience making Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o.[64][65][66][67]
******
Viola Davis has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actress. Given the true history surrounding the Warrior Women of Dahomey, and my aversion to the creation of a false narrative concerning that history, I reluctantly must admit that I would prefer that she not win the award for this movie.  I would prefer that the truth be told about Dahomey and that our youth be led to understand that the parties involved in the slave trade included black parties, including the Agojie, King Ghezo, and any Woman King.  
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins

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