“The Woman King: A Review of the Film’s Technical Brilliance and Cultural Authenticity”

(A real challenge to the Beninese film industry)

At the headquarters of the Embassy of the United States of America, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, the film titled ”The Woman King” is screened. In the presence of the United States Ambassador to Benin, Brian Shukan and the director of the film, Gina Prince-Bythewood, the public enjoyed a feature film of about two and a half hours which traces the hegemony from the kingdom of Danhomey at the time of the ”Agoodjié” or Amazon women, warriors under the reign of King Guézo. The film has everything it takes technically to be pleasant and tasty, but the problem is that the dressing in terms of music, dance and choreography, rallying cry, pronunciation of the words in the Fongbé language defies all reality. authentic linked to the land of the Houégbadjavi.

”The Woman King” is a cinematic treat concocted by American director Gina Prince-Bythewood. A plot that carries the movie buff in a spiral of two and a half hours clock to fill him with the exploits accomplished by the warrior women of Dahomey and who are commonly known under the name of ”Agoodjié” or Amazon women. This epic tale of spectacular women technically shaped and forged for war makes the film buff starkly blind to the past. It’s so well told that both in the scenography, the plot and in the acting, nothing leaves you indifferent. As for the special effects, it leaves amazed. The film retraces the heroic deeds of Nanisca, the patroness of this proud female army of Dahomey, and her daughter Nawi who, in complicity with the other ”Agoodjiés”, valiantly fought the invaders of Oyo and the mercantile colonists who came for the triangular trade off the Atlantic Ocean near Ouidah. They are nothing but women endowed with formidable power and techniques of war. By themselves, they were able to tear down all the invaders who dared to challenge the kingdom of Dahomey, starting with the Mahinous. Their fighting technique has nothing to envy to martial arts. A technically advanced army with vigorous and sparkling strikes that command admiration. The film clearly brings to light that since then the kingdom of Dahomey, despite all that is often said about African civilization, is divinely well organized and has a well-ordered spirituality. Architectures that expose labyrinths and fortresses worthy of a refined and structured organization. And yet, it was in the years 1823. And it was even one of the rare times when a filmmaking project was interested in this sense in a story of Negroes with such a considerable scope. Otherwise, these are not subjects of interest that do good business in France. “When I started this project, at first, it wasn’t going to be easy for me. It took a good six years before I got the funding to do the job. People didn’t believe it right away. Because these kinds of subjects often it is not obvious that they are accompanied immediately ”, underlines the director Gina Prince-Bythewood in the exchanges after screening.

But beyond…

This film did not only suffer from the delay in financing. Since it is entirely made in South Africa, ”The Woman King” has not seen the participation of a large number of Beninese filmmakers. Otherwise the diva Angélique Kidjo who is almost figurative in the frame. We can also remember that the consultation of the young director Cornélia Glèlè on a technical level is taken into account. Otherwise, “Most of the actors and technicians are South Africans. Since the vision is also to find the qualities of agents who are up to what we want to do, ”confirms the director. And already, why for a story which concerns the Dahomey of then Benin, it is in South Africa that it is carried out? The answer to this question did not hesitate at all on the language of the director. “We did not fail to probe the world of Beninese cinematography. But unfortunately, the calls for casting that are launched have proved unsuccessful in recruiting adequate actors and technicians to do the job. We have noticed that the Beninese film industry does not really exist yet”, says the director before adding diplomatically that the objective is also to reconnect Africa to America and that is that. which justifies the choice of South Africa and its actors. But to scrutinize closely, she is the second personality of the world cinematographic galaxy, not to say of Hollywood, who makes this observation apart from the Beninese Djimon Houssou who had, during his visit to Cotonou a few years ago, made an identical remark. . Better, the rallying cries of the warriors in the film are identical to those of the Zoulus. And moreover, the few rare words pronounced in Fongbé are so anglicized that only those who have a well-adapted hearing could find their way around, especially if you are Beninese. From feast songs to war songs, passing through the accompanying melodies and dance steps, no drum representative of the kingdom of Dahomey such as the Kpézin has sounded, except for the djembes played in South African style. or the Senegalese style which make the actors do dance steps and which have practically nothing to do with the kingdom of Dahomey. Any similarity to authenticity in these details about the film leaves you thirsty. But the director still had the openness to point out through her remarks that ”The Woman King” does not claim to be a film production that perfectly meets all expectations. . Therefore, the challenge is launched to other film companies, particularly Beninese, to fill the gap observed and to go beyond as far as possible.

Teddy GANDIGBE