jjares reviewed on 3/21/2024 + 3414 more book reviews

Two parts of this book interested me. First, Dahomey was a kingdom that rose in the seventeenth century and became one of the most powerful in West Africa. Second, the backbone of their economy became the slave trade. Thus, Africans sold other Africans into slavery and were transported virtually around the world. Estimates are that twelve million enslaved people were transported, and as many as half died before starting to work.

The Kingdom of Dahomey was materialistic and deeply committed to conquering lands and other peoples. It enslaved captives and made human sacrifices. The most unique thing about its troops was the many all-female units. These units started as bodyguards for the king but soon diversified into regular fighting units. Many women were also the king's wives (he had about 2000).

Once the slavery trade was made illegal, Dahomey tried to diversify to producing palm oil. However, other tropical nations soon started doing the same, and this reduced Dahomey's wealth. This is an entertaining and unique story of African tribes.

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