As an African American, have you hungered for information about your Ancestral home? Or historical stories showing your ancestors as anything but slaves? In your youth, or even now, have you searched for fiction that displays women and girls of African heritage as Strong, Powerful, Complex, Beautiful beings, but found only one-dimensional caricatures?
“I AM A DAHOMEY WARRIOR” follows the gripping journey of a young girl coming of age prior to the colonization of Africa. This narrative poem follows our heroine from the early days of her childhood through the heart-stopping events that mold her into the warrior she is today.
Although fictional, this story is based on a real tribe of female African Warriors. The Dahomey Warriors, through their incredible power and prowess, were often compared to the mythical Greek Amazons by European scouts. These comparisons continue to this day.
Come, step into the mind of a warrior and be lead through her adventures by the use of poetry as a means of powerful storytelling.
She looked down at me with dark piercing eyes and said, “None of this is your fault.” “Today you are only a child, and you did what you were able to do, Survive!”
As an African American, have you hungered for information about your Ancestral home? Or historical stories showing your ancestors as anything but slaves? In your youth, or even now, have you searched for fiction that displays women and girls of African heritage as Strong, Powerful, Complex, Beautiful beings, but found only one-dimensional caricatures?
“I AM A DAHOMEY WARRIOR” follows the gripping journey of a young girl coming of age prior to the colonization of Africa. This narrative poem follows our heroine from the early days of her childhood through the heart-stopping events that mold her into the warrior she is today.
Although fictional, this story is based on a real tribe of female African Warriors. The Dahomey Warriors, through their incredible power and prowess, were often compared to the mythical Greek Amazons by European scouts. These comparisons continue to this day.
Come, step into the mind of a warrior and be lead through her adventures by the use of poetry as a means of powerful storytelling.
She looked down at me with dark piercing eyes and said, “None of this is your fault.” “Today you are only a child, and you did what you were able to do, Survive!”
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Before dawn I was awakened by the sound of a crackling fire, lowered voices, and footsteps
I rose excitedly, anticipation brewing
Marveling as I secretly viewed all the activity surrounding me
A Huntress, conveying orders, albeit, in a hushed tone, moved from place to place, gathering equipment
She was tall and slender with defined muscles well-proportioned to her curvaceous frame
Her eyes held a kindness that did not match the creases that etched their way across her brow
Others, just as stately as she, answered to her call
They all seemed to have the same objective in mind, obviously hurrying but taking care not to disturb the other villagers as they readied themselves for the day’s adventure
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I fought to stay awake
Desperate to witness the group’s departure
As I propped my head up for a better view, I heard a rustle behind me
Next thing I knew, my little sister was cozying up to me
“What are you looking at?” she asked
“Go back to sleep!” I muttered
“I can’t. I’m not sleepy,” she whined
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Even in the dark, I could tell that she cocked her head over to one side as she looked up at me.
She begged, “Tell me about the great Elephant Hunter adventure.”  “The one the Griot shared the other night.”
I shrugged, “Why, so you can have nightmares and tell on me?”
“Anyway, can’t you see I’m busy!”
“I promise, I won’t say a word.” “Please!” She begged, her voice squeaking.
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Fixing my gaze on one of the women
Using my elbow and arm as support, I propped my head up
Finally, I gave in, I really couldn’t resist!
I began reciting just as I had heard the Griot repeat so many times beforeÂ
I am a Dahomey Warrior! tells the story of a young girl who belongs to the Fon, living in Benin, West Africa, many decades ago. Back when it was called Dahomey, it not only had a rich cultural heritage, but also an all-women army known as the Elephant Hunters and tales of their bravery, fearlessness and sheer strength were regaled upon our protagonist ever since she was a young child. After a horrifying incident that caused her to lose both her mother and her sister, our heroine was determined to join the Elephant Hunters and fight such injustices and crimes and protect the people of her land. The rest of the story follows her effort in reaching her goal and what happens even after she's accomplished her lifelong dream.
I am a Dahomey Warrior! was one of the first few African adventure stories I've read, and it completely blew me away. To say that the writing was impeccable would be a massive understatement. It is one of those stories that demand to be read, exhibiting the same strength that its heroines yield. I was in awe of how easily the author managed to transport me to the world of our protagonist and how well crafted the imagery was, so much so that I often found myself in the shoes of our heroine.Â
What's special about this book is that despite the Elephant Hunters being such strong warriors, they were subjected to ill-treatment and lower rights (being forced to marry the king, being molested by not being able to say or do anything about it etc.) than the men for no other reason other than that they were women. Reading this story at this time, especially with the horrific way women are being treated in Afghanistan, strikes a chord with me on a whole new level and just goes to show how the story of the Dahomey women is true even today.Â
This story is tragic, it's motivating, it's STRONG - and it manages to bring out the sleeping Dahomey warrior inside each one of us. I, for one, am grateful that I got to be an ARC reader for this amazing story and hope that it can inspire you the way it has inspired me.