The Woman King set to be an Important Addition to the African Theme in Entertainment

On February 12, 2018, Black Panther took cinemas, audiences, and critics by storm. Not only praised for its entertainment value, the Marvel movie resonated with critics for its application and embrace of African culture and touchstones. Of course, movies set in and made in Africa have come before, but the size of Black Panther seemed to awaken something in the mainstream, bringing a greater spotlight to the setting and associated themes, as well as encouraging other creatives to follow suit.

This year, The Woman King – starring Viola Davis of Fences in 2016 – looks to become an important addition to this ever-growing trend across entertainment. Not only does it star the 2017 Best Supporting Actress winner, but Woman King will also tell a story based on the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was located within what is now the nation of Benin.

A theme that’s proving popular across entertainment

Despite how popular the setting of Africa has proven to be in media, it’s not often that major studios back it substantially. Why this is isn’t clear. Take, for example, The Lion King. In 2019, Disney’s The Lion King followed their new format of making artistically superb classics into half-cut CGI money mops, and yet, the original and remake combined at the box office ($2.64 billion, per The Numbers) don’t come close to the success of the musical version that’s even more drenched in the African theme. In fact, The Lion King’s $6.2 billionworldwide made it the biggest box office hit of any medium of all-time by 2014.

Away from the world of acting, you can see African-themed entertainment products surging in popularity. The 9 Masks of Fire slot continues to feature on casino sites. In it, the core symbol is reminiscent of tribal African masks, while the free spins mode is triggered by the Zulu-like shield and spearssymbol. Important figures in the entertainment industry are also coming around to embracing Africa, with Beyoncé perhaps being the most prominent figure in music to do so. Once going by her alter-ego “Sasha Fierce,” the 28-time Grammy Award-winner is now incorporating imagery of the Yoruba deity Oshun, the goddess of beauty and love. With such prominence now, it’s inevitable that more will embrace a positive adoption of Africa as a theme.

An examination of, rather than an embrace of Africa

So many English-languages blockbusters that have landed since the turn of the millennium have been much more of an examination of a troubled continent rather than an embrace of its cultures, traditions, and the good. You can think of Beasts of No Nation (2015), Blood Diamond (2006), Hotel Rwanda (2004), and The Last King of Scotland (2006) as examples of this. While they undoubtedly tell important and powerful stories, it’s clear that the focus has been on the darker side of history. This is likely one of the reasons why mainstream movie Black Panther managed to get such praise and feel fresh, with QZ listing many African influences that the film draws on – from the traditional cloaks of the Basotho people of Lesotho to the Dahomey warrior women inspiring the Dora Milaje. Of course, there are many inspiring tales set in Africa and based on African characters.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, a 2019 release on Netflix, is based on a true story that tells of a Malawian boy who saves his community. The British film is also joined by the likes of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) and The First Grader (2011) as movies that have more positively-driven stories. It should also be recognized that filmmakers from Africa are increasingly adding top-class films to the scene. As shown in The Guardian’s top-20 list, Abouna(2002), I Am Not a Witch (2017), Atlantique (2019), and District 9 (2009) all received praise, tapped into African culture and cinema, and are made by creatives from Chad, Zambia, Senegal, and South Africa, respectively. Still, when the world’s largest movie money-maker is backing productions, the films have tended to veer more towards shock-and-awe rather than feel-good recently.

The Woman King to be empowering and historic

Sure, The Woman King is primarily being made for entertainment purposes, but the themes that it draws from can, and likely will, be extrapolated from an experience intended to amuse. With Viola Davis in another lead role after another Oscar-worthy performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, strong acting will undoubtedly be at the forefront of the movie, but based on the snaps from the film revealed thus far, so too will getting the aesthetics and setting perfect for the century’s old setting in what is now Benin.

Given that King Ghezo (John Boyega) is to be in the film, it’ll likely be set somewhere between 1818 and 1858, with the story following Nanisca (Davis) as the leader of an all-female military unit that seeks to defeat those who threaten the Kingdom of Dahomey. So far, the cast of the historical epic has been padded by rising stars Jayme Lawson, MasaliBaduza, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, as detailed in the October 2021 piece by Deadline.

Coming to theatres on September 16, 2022, The Woman King looks to be another big step towards proving the viability of delving into the stories, history, and setting of Africa, particularly in a positive and empowering light.