Dahomey Amazons warriors are also the main focus and written about in Layon Gray's stage play "Black Sparta". The Dora Milaje, army/bodyguards to the "Black Panther", are based partially off the Dahomey Amazons. In Zora Neale Hurston’s "", 86 year old Cudjo Lewis, the last known survivor of the slaver Clotilda, describes his own capture by Dahomey Amazons when he was 19 years old. Dahomey Amazons The Dahomey Amazons or Mino, which means "our mothers," were a Fon all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey in the present-day Republic of Benin which lasted until the end of the 19th century. They
In Dahomey twentieth century—minstrelsy, vaudeville, comic opera, and musical comedy." Significantly, the production of "In Dahomey" marked the first full-length African American musical to be staged in an indoor venue (following the earlier success of in a rooftop setting) on Broadway, premiering at the New York Theatre on February 18, 1903. During its four-year tour, "In Dahomey" proved one of the most successful musical comedies of its era. The show helped make its composer, lyricist and leading performers household names. "In Dahomey" was the first black musical to have its score published (albeit in the UK, not the US). The play is