By Kadmiel Kweifio-Okai

On September 15, last year, movie fans were thrilled to dazzling moments of fantastic cinematics which left a lasting impression on them.

I was privileged to have been part of those who got the chance to witness the flawless showmanship in movie-making at the Silverbird Cinemas at the Accra Mall.

It was the movie premiere of the blockbuster, The Woman King.

It featured A-list Hollywood actress Viola Davies, South African actress, Thuso Mbedu, and a cameo appearance by Beninese singer, Angelique Kidjo.

Weeks before the release of The Woman King, the trailer of Black Panther seem to have caused excitement as well.

Black female actresses seemed to be getting all the flowers.

The Women King is a historical fiction that narrates the story of an all-black female elite warrior who once occupied Dahomey, a settlement in Benin, West Africa.

Much of Dahomey’s history is said to have been handed down through oral tradition.

And as it is popular with oral tradition, a chunk of the narratives got distorted over time with many specificities being relied on speculations.

According to Stanley Alpern’s book; “Amazons of Black Sparta”, the name Dahomey came as a result of the conquest of Dan, a rival chief of Wegbaja, the then ruler of the Fon people.

It is said that after Wegbaja killed Dan, he built a palace over his grave and named it “Danhome” which literally means “in the belly of Dan.

The warrior women of Dahomey were all deemed to be wives of the king of Dahomey.

The king’s wife could number up to over 3000.

They were protectors of the kingdom from the late 1600s to the early 1900s.

These women were so skilled with the handling of weaponry and armory they easily hunted elephants for their meat and ivory which they presented to their husband, the king.

This skill gradually metamorphosed into warring with men.

They were feared and revered by neighboring kingdoms, killing by stealth moves and with military tactics exclusive to only them.

Even male warriors from other kingdoms and tribes dreaded the fighter women of Dahomey.

Today, though the elite all-female warriors of Dahomey have long been disbanded and not in existence, their stories of conquests and great exploits are been remembered and celebrated.

A hundred-foot-tall statue of Queen Tassi Hangbe has been erected in Benin in honour of these warriors.

And with the buzz triggered by the Woman King, it is said that the country is enjoying tremendous amounts of revenue from the tourism industry.