KING BEHANZIN: A HERO OF AFRICAN RESISTANCE TO COLONIZATION (Part 1)

Born Ahokponou Nyakaja Honsinnyeli, Behanzin was the son and successor of King Glele. It was in 1889 that Behanzin in turn became king of Dahomey. He thus inherited a powerful army of more than 15,000 soldiers, including an elite female corps!

Once on the throne, he took the nickname “the shark king”. This nickname reflects the response he intended to give to the threat posed by the French invaders who came by sea.

In 1890, the French negotiated with the king. But the talks failed, and the French arrested Dahomean officials in Cotonou. In response, Behanzin took the French of Ouidah hostage in Abomey, his capital. Fighting broke out in Cotonou and Porto-Novo. In the latter city, the Dahomeans’ attack was also driven by a desire to destroy oil palms, the region’s main trade commodity. The conflict went in favor of the French, but the Dahomeans succeeded in cutting down many oil palms.

Source: Nofi