The Woman King Boycott was a campaign launched in 2022 to protest the release of the film “The Woman King.” The boycott was organized by a group of activists who argued that the film glorified the Kingdom of Dahomey, a powerful West African state that engaged in the slave trade.
The activists argued that the film’s portrayal of the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military unit, was historically inaccurate and sanitized the kingdom’s role in the slave trade. They also criticized the film for its casting of Viola Davis, a dark-skinned actress, in the lead role, arguing that it perpetuated the idea that only light-skinned black women are worthy of being celebrated.
