Is ‘The Queen’ a true story?

Trailer of queen It advertises that it is “based on powerful true events.” The events depicted in the film involve a group known as the Agozier, a platoon of fierce female warriors who defended the West African kingdom of Dahomey. In the film, the Dahomey are attacked by the neighboring Oyo Empire in 1823. A brave Agozier general named Naniska (Viola Davis) serve King Gezo (John Boyega) works to protect her people—and convinces Ghezo that their country’s participation in the slave trade is a “poison” that needs to be stopped. captures enemy combatants in battle, it sells these captives into slavery.)

that is queenThe story of. But unlike the trailer, the film itself doesn’t actually include a title card claiming it’s a work of historical fiction. Based on “Truth” Talk.” Technically speaking, Fear of Amityville Based on real events. However, the story told by the film version is clearly fictional.

that’s right queen True story? Yes and no; the trailer’s carefully worded line about “a powerful true event” has a reason.many Woman king Fully based on historical records. However, some parts are not.

All basic outlines of assumptions and settings are correct. From 1818 there was actually a kingdom called Dahomey ruled by King Ghezo, who he ruled until 1859. Being like a monk. Agojie lived in the king’s palace, in its own independent enclave away from all other men. They never married, never had sex, and never had children. (Or at least they shouldn’t have.

but, Smithsonian Magazinethe elements of the film are No Faithful to historical records. Her two female protagonists in this film, Naniska and Nawi, are both fictional works, but there have been Agojie members with these names at various points in history.according to Smithsonianthe actual Naniska was observed by a French naval officer in 1889. queen.

Naniska’s true identity was not a general, but a young woman on trial who “hasn’t killed anyone yet” as depicted in the film. (Interestingly, the real Naniska sounds more like queenA fictional Nawi played by Suso Mbedu, a new member of Agojie who is at odds with Davis’ Naniska.

Main causes of tension between histories queenThe depiction of the events in , stems from the political struggles and palace intrigues taking place within the battlefield scenes, rather than the details of Dahomey’s war with Oyo. He is portrayed as a demanding and acerbic leader. She repeatedly urges Gezo to end the slave trade, but he is shown to be reluctant to cut off one of his kingdom’s main sources of wealth. To prove they don’t need it, Nanisca supports increasing the country’s palm oil production, arguing that palm oil exports can make up for lost income from slavery.

It makes for a fascinating story, but the experts cited in it Smithsonian The article doubts whether such an incident actually happened.I’m skeptical… These women are symbols of strength and power. [also] Participate in problematic systems. They are still under royal patriarchy and are the main players in the slave trade.

The suggestion that King Gezo decided to end slavery in Dahomey, due to the actions of Naniska and other members of Agojie, does not appear to have been reflected in history, at least in the 1820s. Smithsonian:

In fact, Gezo, after years of pressure by the British government to abolish slavery in his own colony in 1833 (not for purely altruistic reasons), was forced to join the Dahomey slave trade in 1852. He agreed to end his participation. He considered palm oil production as an alternative source of income, but it proved far less profitable, and the King soon resumed his participation in the Dahomey slave trade. did.

In other words, while the fictional Naniska’s battle to transform her home into something better is exciting to watch, it’s a fictional battle against real historical events.but that doesn’t mean queen Not a very entertaining and powerful war movie.

Read more about Agojie’s history here Smithsonian Magazine’s Essay on the history of Dahomey.