• Viola Davis-starrer. King is under fire for ignoring the slave trade aspect in the film.
• Dahomey was a tribe that netted fellow African tribes only to sell them to the Europeans.
• As they continued the practice for almost 200 years until the 19th century.

The Viola Davis-led movie Woman King is getting flak for downplaying the slave trade in the movie, according to TMZ.

Numerous scholars criticized the idea that the Dahomey tribe, which was depicted as fighting for independence in the movie, actually sold individuals into slavery.

This is a difficult story to tell. My take as a historian of slavery and the Atlantic slave trade on the movie @WomanKingMovie #slaveryarchive #twitterstorians https://www.bolnews.com/entertainment/2022/09/woman-king-has-come-under-fire-for-omitting-slave-trade-in-movie/amp/

— Ana Lucia Araujo, PhD (@araujohistorian) September 17, 2022

It’s interesting to note that Dahomey, from the 17th until the 19th centuries, was a group that captured other African tribes only to sell them to the Europeans. Britain defeated the tribe and put an end to the practice.

In a sane world, “The Woman King” —a film apparently lionizing a SLAVE TRADING, IMPERIALIST, COLONIAL African nation— might be criticized for taking gross liberties and watering down uncomfortable facts.

Instead, it wins praise for its “love of freedom” + “B”lack culture!? 🤡🙃 pic.twitter.com/TdyNrw74kU

— Kmele 🖐 (@kmele) September 15, 2022

The Viola Davis-led film Woman King debuted to rousing acclaim from critics and an unexpected $19 million domestic box office on opening weekend.

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