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.
