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The Guardian - Culture: Film | | | 'It's been nearly a month and it's still sold out': The Woman King takes over Benin's only cinema | by Joshua Surtees Nov 1, 2022 | The blockbuster retelling of Benin’s history of elite women warriors has transfixed audiences in the West African country. Our reporter joins the crowds At the Canal Olympia in Cotonou – the only cinema in Benin – the audience is on its feet clapping. Havens of tranquillity are few and far between in this buzzing 24-hour city, so this dark, air-conditioned theatre is usually a calming space. Not tonight. Cinemagoers have just seen the rich history of their country, Dahomey, Benin’s former name, depicted in a Hollywood film: The Woman King. As Viola Davis’s army general, Nanisca, leads Dahomey’s Amazon warrior women against the Oyo empire and Portuguese slave-traders, they cheered, exhorted, laughed and groaned. When we see the port of Ouidah or the royal palaces as they might have looked back then, there are loud gasps of approval. Continue reading... | | | | |
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