Amazon Statue of a Warrior woman

Symbolic new statue in Benin

Since the 8th of May an immense statue has been slowly unveiled behind the Palais de la Marina, close to the Palais des Congrès and the Port Autonome de Cotonou in Benin’s capital Porto-Novo. A photo of the statue by photojournalist Eric Ahounou, made the rounds on the web, provoking a lot of comment about the statue’s origins and its symbolism. Some see it as an effort to revive the history of Queen Tassi Hangbé, banished from the constellation of sovereigns of the Kingdom of Dahomey.

Others see it as an effort to praise the army of the Amazons created by Queen Tassi Hangbé and rehabilitated by King Ghézo. In sum, the unveiling of this statue, which is still under construction, demonstrates the attachment of the majority of the Beninese to their varied and ancient history, particularly that of the Dahomey Kingdom. According to a governmental source “the statue was made by the artist-sculptor Li Xiangqun of the Beijing Huashi Xiangqun Culture and Art Co., Ltd. company, selected after consultations conducted at national and international level. 

The statue is speculated to be portraying the Amazons. The Amazons played a major role in the powerful kingdom of Dahomey, now Benin. They were protectors of King Ghezo, who ruled Dahomey from 1818 to 1858. They formed an elite troop, swearing loyalty to him until death. These formidable female bodyguards were often recruited as teenagers by the king for their strength and beauty, but also because labour was increasingly scarce due to the European slave trade.

Historical accounts of the Amazons are unreliable, although several European slave traders, missionaries and colonialists recounted their encounters with fearsome, fearless and ruthless female warriors. The Amazons are also part of Greek mythology, they were women warriors  known as the ‘Amazons of Dahomey’ by Europeans in the 19th century. Today, historians call them ‘mino’,  in the local Fon language which can be translated as ‘our mothers’, and their spirit is still living on in the traditional dances of Benin. 

Jean-Michel Abimbola, the Beninese Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts has described the statue as an ode to the Beninese woman.”We have the figure of Beninese female heroism, courage, splendour, bravery of Beninese women of yesterday who knew how to defend the borders of a kingdom and who today continue to defend the borders of a Republic through the market, through their civic commitment, who continue to show us this figure of courage. Each of us can find ourselves in this figure,” he said.

This statement that highlights the importance of  women is especially important given the fact that there are still significant gender inequality issues in Benin. For example as of February 2021, only 8.4% of seats  in the Beninese parliament were held by women and despite Benin having ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against, discriminatory practices such as FGM and the prevention of women from leaving their homes during certain religious festivals, still exist.

The site is still under construction but several sources state that the monument could be officially unveiled as part of the bank holidays celebrated on August 1st. Despite the fact that the statue’s construction  is still in progress, there are already  T-shirts and mugs with the effigy of the statue for sale.

When completed, the statue will consist of a metal structure with a bronze covering  and its overall height will be 30m. The statue is undoubtedly a tribute to Beninese women and therefore an important step being taken in recognising the contribution of Beninese women to their society and potentially drawing more attention to the inequality many still face. 

Olivia Winnifrith

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