Nollywood, Sony Pictures join forces for TV series on all-female African army

By Chris Giles, CNN

Updated 1614 GMT (0014 HKT) March 29, 2018

Nigerian studio EbonyLife and Sony Pictures Television are to produce a TV series on the West African Dahomey Warriors. They're following in the footsteps of box office hit "Black Panther," which featured the all-female security services of Dora Milaje.
Nigerian studio EbonyLife and Sony Pictures Television are to produce a TV series on the West African Dahomey Warriors. They're following in the footsteps of box office hit "Black Panther," which featured the all-female security services of Dora Milaje.

Story highlights

  • Production studio with global footprint partners with Nollywood
  • African-inspired stories like "Black Panther" have seen commercial success

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)A first time collaboration between an American TV production studio and Nollywood has been announced.

Sony Pictures Television will co-develop three TV projects -- including a series on a 19th-century all-female African force -- with Nigerian network EbonyLife, one of the biggest TV networks on the continent.
    The announced TV show is inspired by the story of the Dahomey Warriors, an all-female West African military group.
      It will be set in the Kingdom of Dahomey and tell the story of how the women protect their nation.
      Female warriors can be overlooked in the annals of history. French street artist YZ Yseult is paying tribute to the Dahomey Amazons, a 19th-century all-female military regiment that fought against the French in Dahomey (modern-day Benin). The series is called Project Amazone.
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      Female warriors can be overlooked in the annals of history. French street artist YZ Yseult is paying tribute to the Dahomey Amazons, a 19th-century all-female military regiment that fought against the French in Dahomey (modern-day Benin). The series is called Project Amazone.
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      Yseult draws large scale portraits from old images and pastes them on the walls of female-owned businesses around Senegal, particularly on restaurants and breakfast stands.
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      Yseult draws large scale portraits from old images and pastes them on the walls of female-owned businesses around Senegal, particularly on restaurants and breakfast stands.
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      "I'm very impressed with the women of Senegal," Yseult says. "They take care of their families and take care of their businesses. They work from five in the morning until nine in the evening. They are warriors in their way, and I have a lot of respect for them, and that's why I put my paintings on their houses."
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      "I'm very impressed with the women of Senegal," Yseult says. "They take care of their families and take care of their businesses. They work from five in the morning until nine in the evening. They are warriors in their way, and I have a lot of respect for them, and that's why I put my paintings on their houses."
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      Yseult's husband, who is Senegalese, helped translate her intentions to the local shop owners. "They were quite interested in the stories of these women -- especially Aline Sitoe Diatta," she says, referring to a Senegalese heroine who gained fame for her resistance to French colonial rule. "Because they knew who she was, they could relate to her."
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      Yseult's husband, who is Senegalese, helped translate her intentions to the local shop owners. "They were quite interested in the stories of these women -- especially Aline Sitoe Diatta," she says, referring to a Senegalese heroine who gained fame for her resistance to French colonial rule. "Because they knew who she was, they could relate to her."
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      The research, says Yseult, grew out of a previous project called "Women from Another Century", which similarly profiles strong female figures from the past. While visiting Senegal, she spent time researching in the library of a local gallery and uncovering West Africa's tradition of female warriors. She also does a lot of research on the internet.
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      The research, says Yseult, grew out of a previous project called "Women from Another Century", which similarly profiles strong female figures from the past. While visiting Senegal, she spent time researching in the library of a local gallery and uncovering West Africa's tradition of female warriors. She also does a lot of research on the internet.
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      Many of the women she has portrayed for this series remain anonymous to her -- though their images have been appropriated into the history books, their names have not. "When I choose a picture to draw, it needs to be very strong. It's a very personal feeling," she says. "I don't say to myself, 'I'll choose it because of this and this.' I just look at the picture and if there's something that happens inside me, I know it's the portrait to do."
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      Many of the women she has portrayed for this series remain anonymous to her -- though their images have been appropriated into the history books, their names have not. "When I choose a picture to draw, it needs to be very strong. It's a very personal feeling," she says. "I don't say to myself, 'I'll choose it because of this and this.' I just look at the picture and if there's something that happens inside me, I know it's the portrait to do."
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      Not everyone she comes into contact with in Senegal feels positive about her work, she says."They're not used to street art," she acknowledges. "They're more used to images related to religion. They don't really care for art."
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      Not everyone she comes into contact with in Senegal feels positive about her work, she says."They're not used to street art," she acknowledges. "They're more used to images related to religion. They don't really care for art."
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      The portraits of anonymous women were the hardest for locals to relate to, she admits. It helped, however, when she shared the stories of some of her subjects."They might say, 'Oh, she looks like my neighbor,' or find another way to re-appropriate the installation."
      Photos: A militia of female warriors fought for West Africa. Now, they're street art
      The portraits of anonymous women were the hardest for locals to relate to, she admits. It helped, however, when she shared the stories of some of her subjects."They might say, 'Oh, she looks like my neighbor,' or find another way to re-appropriate the installation."
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