Before 1975 Benin was known as Dahomey after its pre-colonial empire, a civilisation which dominated the southern region for nearly three hundred years (c.1620 – 1900). A factor that made this society different from many others and particularly interesting to us was its ferocious female army, the only properly documented women warriors in world history. The Amazons of Black Sparta, as they were known, were a force of warriors who were notorious as the elite fighting body of the kingdom from 1729 onwards.
Dahomey was a blood thirsty empire waging war at least once a year with surrounding realms. One of the major objects of war was slave raiding, trading captives with Europeans for highly desired foreign goods. The women became central to these battles rivalling and even surpassing the men in bravery and skill. Selected from childhood they were masters of the musket, machete and bow and arrow and were trained to withstand physical hardships and discomforts. At its height, during the 19th century the Amazon force numbered up to 6,000 and some historians say more.
The Amazon’s relationship with the king was one of unwavering loyalty which was exemplified by their fearlessness in battle and their desire to die before being taken prisoner. They were all considered the property of the king, as his wives, although some slept with him the majority didn’t and were obliged to remain celibate. For the Amazon’s this was a small price to pay as life for women in the empire was one of thankless drudgery whereas a warrior’s life meant relative privilege. The Amazons lived in a palace where no men could enter except the king and his eunuchs.
They were given slave girls to wait on them and who preceded them when leaving the palace ringing bells to make sure all eyes were averted. If a man looked at or touched one of the women, Amazon or slave, he risked death. Unlike other women in the kingdom the Amazons enjoyed a life of drinking, smoking, dancing and of course war. The Amazons fought many battles and rightly deserved their fearsome reputation from their foes. Their last battle was in 1892 against the French who went on to take control of Dahomey as a colonial power. Many of the French military who witnessed the wrath of the Amazons praised them as worthy opponents. One Legionnaire wrote “These warrioresses fight with extreme valour, always ahead of the other troops…[they are] outstandingly brave…well trained for combat and very disciplined.”
As much of African history is oral creating a clear picture of the past can be difficult however there is a concise and readable history of these women by Stanley B. Alpen. In ‘Amazons of Black Sparta; The Women Warriors of Dahomey’ Alpen has compiled all available sources and created a vivid picture of Amazon life in the Dahomey kingdom. In Abomey, the former capital of Dahomey it is possible to visit the palaces of King Gezo (1818-58) and Glele (1858-89). There were originally 12 palaces as each king built a new one upon his succession however these are the only two left standing after the conquest of the French.
Sitting in the shade of a huge tree in what was once the parade ground of the Amazons, reading the chapter from Alpen’s book about where they lived gave us more of an impression of their lives than wandering around the neglected buildings. The palaces themselves are now fairly unremarkable but the history is definitely worth investigating.
The life that the Amazons escaped is described by Alpen “in Dahomey as elsewhere in West Africa the average woman’s lot was difficult. She did all the housekeeping and cooking, reared the children, raised, harvested and marketed crops, engaged in petty trade, tended livestock, collected firewood, gathered wild plants, fetched water, carried headloads, processed palm oil, make pottery and baskets, spun cotton, dyed cloth” Although Alpen is describing the past as far as we can see not much has changed.
Women are still doing all of the activities described above with little appreciation or input in decision making. Girls are raised as home-makers and childless women are socially abhorrent. Although men go out to work, more often than not so does a woman (with a baby tied by cloth to her back) whilst still being expected to shoulder all of the domestic burdens. From what we have seen men do not tend to take any role in child-rearing or within the home. These social expectations mean it is very hard for more than half of the population to apply what little educational opportunities they are given to the improvement of their futures. Without modern appliances all domestic tasks are seriously physical and make for back breaking and time consuming work. If a mother has daughters to help her they will be raised and taught to work as she does, eventually taking over this role to cater for her brothers and father and then her husband and children.
This traditional social hierarchy was apparent even when staying with a loving and seemingly modern family. Sons are typically not expected to lift a finger and their education is prioritised. A common sight is groups of little boys playing whilst their female counterparts are mastering the labours that will often define their lives. There is no doubt that long hours and bone tiring work are a norm for men too yet their sex grants them a level of respect and recognition for their work that women do not receive. Men it seems also enjoy a certain degree of leisure time, which from what we have seen the women very rarely experience. Encouragingly we have met young men who place different values on these traditional gender roles, an attitude which is fundamental to social change. In the present however it often seems the divisions are perpetuated more than they are challenged.
We went to an exhibition about women’s role in Africa and found a poem by a modern Ugandan poet Okot P’Bitek that conjures a similar image.
Woman of Africa; Woman who does everything; Covers the floor; With cow dung and black soil; Cooks, aya, baby tightly on the back; Washes dishes; Plants, weeds, harvests; Sells, builds; Shops; You are a wagon, a lorry, a donkey; Woman of Africa What don’t you do?
The exhibition which was housed in the Maison du Bresil in Ouidah also spoke about the ways in which women are beginning to form a new identity in Africa. Through education, political equality and co-operative projects women are starting to realise their own strength and importance however there is a long way to go and many attitudes still to change. The projects we visited with Plan Benin exemplified the difference women can make in their own communities and how traditional gender roles can be challenged and changed.
The Amazons saw themselves as having reached a male status and although great illustrators of women’s strength this did little for gender equality. In Benin and many other places in Africa women are still treated as second class citizens. As westerners we are accorded the privileges of men however we cannot help but empathise with the women and find it hard to stomach the fixed, unequal role they play here. Everybody deserves the right to their individual identity and to have a hand in their own lives, we can only hope that equality and opportunity for women is something that is a part of Benin’s future.
