Gender in West Africa

In the West African fellowship, the fancy of power among women lies within the vibrant differences between the roles of each gender. Women were and still are the foundation of the African community as they exercise the power to protect life and educate children. Despite this prominent position, they are non in any way seen as equal to men.This conventional perception changed temporarily, or perhaps was slimly regarded differently, when in 19th Century, Behanzin, one of the most renowned kings of Dahomey, a country now known as Benin, used his army of women to fight the French army because of the invasion of the French settlers in the Dahomey territory, which brought resistance. These women, called Amazons, fought with exceptional bravery and were often considered invincible by their opponents.With the use of Amazons in the kingdom of Benin, a significant alteration in the gender roles occurred in the African community. This alteration, giving female soldiers roles almost exclusi vely speechless for males, reflects what Butler and Kimmel discuss in their booksgender as social construct and performativity. It could be conceded that gender lines were go through with this new position of women, but a closer look at the situation will recruit the opposite to be.At first glance the physical and mental transformations of Amazons into men would make it seem that the women were able to contact power that had been formerly reserved for men however, on closer inspection, there is significant evidence that legion(predicate) features of the traditional gender norms were unchanged in the long-run, despite appearances to the contrary.