Kama Sywor Kamanda

King BEHANZIN Kama Sywor Kamanda

"King BEHANZIN: This is a historical drama. It is the tragedy of a king who was resistant, brave and thirsty for freedom like Chaka Zulu, Queen Nzinga Mbandi of Angola, King M'Siri of Garenganze, Queen Ranavalona III and many other African sovereigns who were confronted with the brutality of colonization. It is also a story of men with their ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, merits and cowardice. Resistance to colonial forces, betrayal, jealousy: King Behanzin of Abomey, now Benin, is threatened by French colonial troops led by General Alfred Dodds, a Senegalese Afro-descendant devoted to the colonial cause. Only one man, however, worries and fears him at the same time: his brother Ghézo, a naive prince with a wicked heart who believes he is disinherited. Intriguing and devious, he maneuvers to eliminate his brother, hoping to recover the throne, including his harem which he dreams of enjoying fully as soon as he becomes his absolute master. To do this, he will help capture Behanzin and deport him to Martinique, then to Algiers where, like Queen Ranavalona III of Madagascar, he will die in captivity.