What We Are Not Seeing Is Violence and War

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The movie begins in 1823. How did this kingdom get to be a kingdom and who lived there? What was it like? It was a group of princes from a place called Tado who moved out of the kingdom and decided to settle in various part of current Benin. They developed into an extremely sophisticated and very modern states, particularly on the king's gazel.

The historical epic The Woman King, in theaters today, is set in the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. The kingdom’s elite all-female fighting force was evidence of its enlightened attitude toward women, but its participation in the transatlantic slave trade is a stain on its history. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and economist Leonard Wantchekon, a descendent of the women fighters, explain.

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Tori Dominguez, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and edited by Amina Al-Sadi and Noel King, who also hosted.

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