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Southern School of Energy and Sustainability Hosts King of Porto-Novo, Benin (Story & Photos)
Students and staff at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability recently played host to a king. King Toffa IX visited the school as part of a five-city reconciliation tour to the United States. The king of Porto-Novo, Benin toured the school, met with DPS superintendent Pascal Mubenga, school administrators, staff and students. The visit was arranged by William Evans, college liaison and magnet coordinator at Middle College High School at Durham Tech, on behalf of the school's social studies/counseling department, with MCHS students joining Southern students at the event.
During an assembly, King Toffa spoke to students about himself and the history of his country. He also addressed questions regarding the wrongs his ancestors committed against Africans who endured the Middle Passage and chattel slavery.
“To be a king in Africa means that you bear the burden of this history, whether you like it or not. You inherit the past, the present, and the future.” King Toffa IX said.
Porto-Novo is a port on an inlet of the Gulf of Guinea, in the southeastern portion of the country. The port was originally developed as a port for the slave trade led by the Portuguese Empire.
“I’ve always known that reconciliation was necessary for Black people in America and elsewhere. Without the heart, there is no reconciliation. I’ve heard the songs of the heart. The words [of that song] came from God the Almighty. The reconciliation is here. Consider it God’s work.”
A Wakandan Connection
During his visit, King Toffa IX also shared an interesting fact about a connection between his country and the 2018 film Black Panther. In the film, Wakanda’s military group, the Dora Milaje, was a force to be reckoned with. The all-female military group was the protectors of the fictional nation of Wakanda. Toffa says that the all-female African military corps of Dahomey, West Africa (now The Republic of Benin), is the inspiration for the Dora Milaje. Dubbed the “Dahomey Amazons” by the French, many believe that the mighty fighting force was comprised of hunters called gbeto, while others believe they were wives of the King. By the end of the 19th century an estimated 4,000 women, many of whom began their training as teens, were among the Dahomey military ranks
PHOTOS
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