African Queens: Njinga (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[light music]
[narrator] Centuries ago,
in West Central Africa
[ancient horn blowing]
where kingdoms rose and fell,
lived a woman destined to lead.
- A warrior
- [indistinct yelling]
a queen,
an unparalleled force.
Her name
Njinga.
[fighting grunts]
[woman screams]
We are a people
born running from extinction.
[people yelling]
[narrator] Born into an era of darkness,
in a time of blood
and shifting sands.
When slavery threatened
to decimate a continent.
[Njinga] I want the Portuguese
off my land.
Every last one of them.
- [grunts]
- [groans]
[narrator]
She fearlessly defended her kingdom
against European power.
[fighting grunt]
Njinga!
[exhales]
Rising to become a beacon of light
for her people.
[villager singing traditional song]
Queen Njinga's legacy
echoes throughout Africa to this day.
It's time we all come to know her name.
All hail Queen Njinga!
[crowd chanting]
Njinga! Njinga! Njinga! Njinga! Njinga!
[theme music]
[women vocalizing]
[Njinga breathes deeply]
You ready?
Are you ready?
[laughs]
Don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you
just because your father is watching.
I don't expect you to.
Hey.
[Ndambi laughs]
[breathes deeply]
Princess Njinga is born
and grew up in a time
where her father, the King,
is already struggling
with the conflict with the Portuguese
that are coming in the land
and taking people.
The Portuguese have already been
in Ndongo for 50 years.
[Mary] And their mission
is really twofold.
One is to Christianize the people there,
and the other is to really expand
the territory of the King of Portugal.
[light upbeat music]
[Luke] The Portuguese are
the first global maritime superpower
and have colonies across the world.
Their largest is in Brazil.
Where they add to their wealth
by building huge sugar plantations.
[villagers clamoring]
[Edson] The Portuguese need people
to work on these plantations,
so they begin capturing people
from West and Central Africa
to work as slave labor.
[plaintive music]
[Luke] In Ndongo,
they call the King, the Ngola.
At this moment, he's under pressure
to protect his kingdom
from the Portuguese.
He has to prepare
his oldest daughter Njinga
for the war that lies ahead.
[Kellie] So, he's exposing her
to the craft of warfare,
how to fight.
Using his soldiers as her practice.
[ancient horn blowing]
[crowd cheering]
[all grunting]
[swooshes]
[crowd cheering]
[fighting grunt]
[screams]
[Njinga laughs]
[ancient horn blowing]
[Njinga squeals]
- [laughter]
- [crowd cheering]
[cheering continues]
An inch left and you would have hit me.
Never.
[Njinga laughs]
Oh.
[chuckles]
As a princess,
Njinga has female attendants.
Some of these are military companions
who train alongside her.
But it's still quite unusual at this time
for women to have an active military role.
- I depend on you too much.
- [Ndambi] Hmm.
Thank God.
[both laughing]
- You've slowed your technique.
- Eh
That's because the race
isn't always given to the swift.
Right, Ndambi?
[soft scoff]
- Don't you have somewhere to be?
- [laughs]
- Come, walk with me.
- Mm.
- Hm. Mm.
- [laughter]
Ndongo is located in what is now Angola
in West Central Africa.
[Luke] In 1617,
Ndongo is one of the biggest
and most important kingdoms at this time.
It has a population
of about 100,000 to 200,000.
The kingdom is centered around Kabasa,
which is the capital
and the home of the royal family.
[dramatic music]
[giggles]
[indistinct chatter]
[upbeat music]
Ndongo is a very sophisticated society.
We have a tendency to think
of the continent of Africa
as being very primitive
before Europeans get there.
And that's just not true.
[chickens clucking]
There's an active trade within Ndongo.
It's territorially expansive,
and it's militarily powerful.
People don't get it.
Everyone thinks war is about speed,
but precision and decision are key.
You must read the battlefield.
[Luke] Funji is the youngest
of the King's three daughters.
As royal princesses,
they are revered and respected in Kabasa.
Read the battlefield and,
and every single detail matters.
You have to be prepared to strike
from a disadvantaged position
[Njinga]
So you still won't introduce yourself?
I'm not as forward as you.
[giggles]
[sighs]
Funji, you are the daughter of a king.
He will be lucky to have you.
- [Funji scoffs]
- [Njinga] Come on, I'm late
- for the council meeting.
- Oh, please. Please?
We're putting that down, and we are going.
[sighs]
- Thank you very much.
- [Funji laughs]
[soft music]
[indistinct chatter]
If the weakest in this kingdom
were running our kingdom
[Luke] The structure of society
in Ndongo goes like this.
You have the ruler at the top,
and then you have the sobas,
who are essentially nobles, just below.
[Kellie] Njinga's father
is facing a difficult time
because there are men all around him
that are vying for power.
[Luke] Mbande, Njinga's brother,
is complex and ambitious.
You get a sense that he really wants
to prove himself as an effective leader.
[Cécile] Mbande knew
that it was the half brother, Kiluanje,
who was expected to be the next Ngola,
as the oldest son of the current king.
We have to strategize.
We have to sit together as one.
Strategy is for games.
Strength is for war.
[Luke] At this time,
the Portuguese have come onto the scene.
They've exploited some of the divisions
and rivalries between the sobas.
And although many sobas
support Njinga's father,
there's one soba in the north,
Soba Kavulo,
who is leading a rebellion
against the King.
My King
the area is crawling
with people loyal to that traitor,
Soba Kavulo.
The Lucalla Pass
is the only way for our warriors.
They will secure the ravine.
And they will make a pathway
for our besieged men
and shore up their numbers.
Perfect.
This war will be over in three days.
The battle will be won,
but the war will rage on
if Father doesn't accompany the men
and meet the local people
and remind them why you're their king.
I know your time at court
has been limited,
but your loyalty shouldn't be.
[Mbande] The King doesn't need
to remind anyone
why he is king, brother.
[Njinga] For once I agree with Mbande.
Father shouldn't lead this battle.
[Kiluanje] My loyalty is unquestionable,
- little brother.
- [laughs]
All I'm trying to say
is let us not ignore the fact
that the King is under threat.
The King is always under threat.
[Mbande] Huh?
So let the hawkers and drunkards
gossip about that
while we focus on the immediate problem,
Soba Kavulo.
If I may, My King.
The prince is right.
Of course, I am.
Kiluanje's instinct to do everything
we can to protect the King
is important.
[Cécile] Around the Ngola
are a range of advisers,
and one of the most important ones
is the tendala.
[Luke] He is essentially a captive slave.
In Ndongo,
people who had been captured in wars
could rise to a certain rank.
You and I have seen many wars, my friend.
Yes, as king and captive.
And now as friends.
Yes.
You know, only a fool
thinks he can outlive death.
But we can keep trying.
[laughter]
Njinga.
[King Ngola] You have anything to add?
I'm wondering why we keep chasing
the Portuguese from the back
instead of meeting them head-on.
Njinga, the Portuguese
are not the issue here.
The Portuguese
are always the issue, brother.
Who do you think is fueling Kavulo's fire?
Who do you think
is making our people question the King?
Njinga learns
from the royal court diplomacy
and the politics of the wider region.
But it's a male-dominated world.
And so her presence there
could cause resentment among her brothers.
Going after this soba
is like fighting the shadow,
not the man himself.
[pensive music]
[birds screeching]
[indistinct chatter]
The Portuguese are looking
for African captives
one way or the other.
So they are really determined
to take over the kingdom of Ndongo.
[Mary] The Portuguese settle on Luanda
as a base for slaving operations,
because the journey from Luanda
to the coast of Brazil is actually shorter
than from many other places
in West Central Africa.
[soft tense music]
So it becomes
a very attractive place for them
to begin their violent slaving operations.
[indistinct chatter]
The Portuguese with their
never-ending thirst for more people.
[distant baby cries]
[Queen Diambi] They never are satisfied
with the quantity of people they have.
It's an ongoing trade,
so they have to continue feeding it.
[plaintive music]
What do the ancestors say?
My King.
[blows air]
- [ancient drum pounding]
- [Nganga grunts]
[strained grunting]
[indistinct chanting]
The nganga is basically
the spiritual adviser.
As an African queen or female king myself,
I have to consult
with my spiritual adviser quite often
because we cannot speak
only from our own voice.
We are representing
the voice of the ancestors.
So the King, the Ngola,
will always go to the nganga
to make sure
that any decision that is taken,
it's for the benefit
and for the edification
of the people and the kingdom.
[indistinct chanting]
[Nganga shouts]
[tense music]
The day will end
with the King still on his throne.
The ancestors have spoken.
[ancient drum thumping]
[indistinct chatter]
Njinga's not only a warrior
and a diplomat,
but at this time,
she's also the mother to a young son.
[baby coos]
Mmm, you are too besotted with that one.
I know.
[baby cooing]
You haven't mentioned the council meeting.
Uh, what's there to mention?
[sighs]
They insist on fighting each other
instead of the Portuguese.
Mbande and Kiluanje?
Who else?
[Kambu] They're just used to fighting.
It's easy for them.
The Portuguese are
a different kind of fire.
Well, it's a fire we need to get used to
and quick.
Before it consumes us all.
Instead, placing Father in harm's way
and for what?
A useless soba who'd rather align
with the Portuguese than his own people?
[baby coos]
[Njinga] I say let him do it.
It's only a matter of time
before the Portuguese dispose of him. Ow!
He bit me!
- [laughs]
- [baby coos]
Kambu is the sister
in between Funji and Njinga.
You get the sense
that she really supports her sister.
- [Kambu] He's done.
- [clicks tongue]
- [Kambu] Give him to me.
- Mmm.
- Bring him back.
- [baby coos]
In an hour.
Hmm?
- Kambu.
- Mm.
- Mm-hm.
- Kambu.
- [Kambu giggles]
- Ah
[soft music]
[Cécile] So Njinga's status meant
she was able to gather around her
a, a group of concubines
that she chose herself.
[soft sensual music]
[Queen Diambi]
There are different cultures in Africa
where women can have different partners.
[soft sensual music]
[Kellie] Njinga's favorite concubine
is a man by the name of Kia Ituxi.
[upbeat sensual music]
Kia Ituxi is the father of her child.
And they have
this really special relationship.
And life for her,
for the most part, is pretty good.
[soft music]
[dramatic music]
[Olivette] Njinga's father was told
that one of the sobas
has risen against him.
So he decides to go there
and show how powerful he is.
Please allow me to come with you.
[King Ngola] You are right
where I need you to be.
You're right, you know?
The Portuguese are gnawing at us,
picking away at the skin
until they get to the bone.
And that, too, they will take.
It'll be like we never existed.
It won't come to that.
What would you do if you were in my place?
I would find a way to unite the kingdom.
Use all our might
to drive the Portuguese back
to where they came from and
[King Ngola] And?
Speak freely, my daughter.
And I would not go to battle today.
You say that like I have a choice.
You do not know men and their pride.
Then again, you may be Ndongo's only hope.
With a woman on the throne
there might be less blood spilled.
Water.
You never carry enough.
[King Ngola inhales sharply]
[King Ngola] Keep one eye on your brothers
and the other on your sisters.
You wish you were going with him,
don't you?
Yes.
- Don't you?
- [Kiluanje] No.
He prefers you at his side, not me.
[soft tense music]
[birds chirping]
[distant laughter]
[tense music]
[tense music continues]
[grunts]
[strained grunt]
[pained groan]
[groans]
[grunts]
[King Ngola's man] My King?
My King?
- [branch crunching]
- [King Ngola's man] My King,
where are you?
Ngola? Ngola?
[somber music]
[Edson] It's very likely
that one of his own men
separated the King from his army
in order to murder him on behalf
of the sobas who opposed him.
[somber music]
[sobbing]
No!
No!
[sobbing]
[screams]
Now, without Njinga's father,
who is going to rule?
Look what they did to your King!
[all crying]
[Mbande] If we can't trust our own men,
who can we trust?
[women sobbing]
It looks like the danger wasn't out
in the field as you stated, brother,
but in our own home!
[sobbing]
Tendala!
Where is the general?
He did not return.
Then bring him to me!
I want those responsible
for this at my feet by sundown!
No, brother.
[breathing heavily]
What?
[sobbing]
They'll have reached their masters by now.
[Njinga sobs]
Leave them there.
[sniffles]
Let them feel safe,
marry
bed their wives
[sniffles]
have heirs.
[Njinga cries]
And then,
when they think they have won
and the ancestors decree it,
we will find them
and we will strike them dead.
We will wipe out their whole lives,
until their bloodlines are no more!
[Mbande] Tendala,
send word of my father's death
and convene the council.
[cries, sniffles]
[ominous music]
[Nganga] He's not here, you know.
Seeing that he is with the ancestors.
Why did you tell him the day would end
with him still on his throne?
Isn't he still on this throne?
You know what I mean.
"Only a fool thinks he can outlive death."
Those were your father's words.
He understood what the ancestors meant.
[sniffles]
He always understood
the meaning behind words.
[sniffles]
He called me Ndongo's hope.
What did he mean?
Oh, child.
Don't act like you don't know.
You were too close to him not to.
It's one thing to know.
It's another thing
convincing everyone else.
[Queen Diambi] Njinga is devastated,
as any daughter would be to lose a father.
But here, it's not just losing a father.
It's losing the King.
[Kellie] It throws
a lot of things into question,
and it's Mbande who feels
as though he's the rightful heir.
But because he was not the son
of the main wife of the former Ngola,
his claim to the throne was less strong.
[Mary] There's no clear line
of succession.
So he orders a series
of political assassinations
to rid himself of rivals
Kiluanje's son
and all his heirs.
There must be no threat to my throne.
[scrapes]
[melancholy music]
[foreboding music]
Get out! Do you know where you are?
[clinks]
[baby crying]
[thwacks]
[baby crying]
[Kellie] Njinga's son,
who is a child, an infant,
is murdered by Mbande
because he sees this child
as a threat to his power.
[tense music]
I did what must be done.
Then why did you call for me?
Because I'm unsure.
Of what?
[Nganga] The throne?
Or what you did to get it?
[breathes deeply]
I cannot absolve you
of the choice that you made.
It was yours to make.
But I'll tell you this.
A stabilized throne means nothing
without a stable king.
So find your feet.
[suspenseful music]
[Queen Diambi] This is a crucial moment
for Mbande
because he wants to ensure
his position on the throne.
[Cécile] Once you're a king,
you're not a normal person
who has to obey the social rule.
So in murdering his potential opponents
he acts as a king already.
[tense music]
[Njinga] Where am I?
Njinga.
[inhales deeply]
[Mary] Mbande doesn't kill Njinga
and her sisters.
Njinga was popular,
and perhaps he felt he could rid her
of any potential heirs,
but also
make her a political asset to himself.
Where's my son?
Where is my son?
Mbande.
Get me
my battle ax.
- [Nganga] Hold her.
- [groans]
Drink.
It will calm you.
[whimpers]
No, I need to be
[sobs]
I I need to
My boy.
My boy.
[Nganga] Be still.
Everything is as the ancestors will it.
No!
That cannot be.
He's my boy.
He's my baby.
He wasn't a threat.
Mbande was afraid of the man
your baby could be.
Are the ancestors afraid too?
[sobs]
Whose side are you on?
I am not defending him.
- I am thinking of Ndongo
- [sobs]
as you should be.
I'm sorry.
[somber music]
Then I'll leave.
I can't stay here.
You can't.
- [breathes heavily]
- You are from the royal house.
You cannot move
without consulting the ancestors first.
[Njinga] Then tell me
what I'm supposed to do with this pain.
Tell me.
[sobs]
What am I supposed to do?
What if they kill me?
[crying]
Because
[Njinga cries]
you are Ndongo's hope.
[Nganga] Mbande does not know it,
but your father and our ancestors do,
and nothing happens without their will.
Endure, daughter,
and trust that all this
is part of our ancestors' plan.
The ancestors are asking too much.
Maybe.
Remember your loyalty
isn't to the one who sits on the throne
but to the people of Ndongo
and to the throne itself.
Endure this
and you can be anything.
[sobs]
[melancholy music]
[Luke] During the first six months
of Mbande's reign,
the Portuguese step up their attacks
on his people.
[birds squawking]
[Portuguese man]
Now, look at these two charts.
This is the ratio
[Kellie] There is new leadership
among the Portuguese.
And the Portuguese are invading
and encroaching
deeper and deeper
into the interior of Africa.
[light upbeat music]
[Mary] Essentially,
Mbande is unable to create
the military and political alliances
needed to stem Portuguese aggression.
[inhales sharply]
Tell me about Mbande.
Well,
we have been averaging 15,000 slaves
a year from the Ndongo region.
We've been losing a few hundred
due to attacks on local slave markets.
[Edson] To capture even more
of Mbande's people,
the Portuguese enlist the help
of a group of warriors
called the Imbangala.
["We Are Not the Same" by DJ G1 playing]
The Imbangala are a group of mercenaries.
Essentially, they are hired hands.
And they're known
for being fierce warriors.
["We Are Not the Same" by DJ G1 playing]
[Luke] The most important
of the Imbangala leaders, Kasanje,
is allied with the Portuguese.
[Kellie] People feared them
but they respected them.
So everyone wants the Imbangala
on their side or on their payroll
because they knew
that if you had them in your corner,
you might have a fighting chance.
["We Are Not the Same" by DJ G1 playing]
[plaintive music]
[Queen Diambi] Njinga lost her father,
and she lost her child.
So, I think, as a person,
she must be quite devastated.
However, she's still a princess.
She is still the embodiment
of an ancestor,
so
she has to put aside
the resentment she may harbor
for the man who killed her child.
You summoned me.
You missed another council meeting.
[Njinga] Accept my apologies,
our King.
Show her.
[Mbande] What's left of our scouts.
Kasanje.
The Ghost in the Mist.
[Mbande] How does Kasanje
keep breaking through our defenses?
Get some soldiers out there
and bring him to me!
The only soldiers you have left
are guarding Kabasa.
Then send them.
He mustn't be allowed
to cross into Kabasa.
I will not lose
more than my father has lost!
[Njinga] If you lose Kabasa,
you will lose more
than our father ever did.
It's not wise to gamble
with your last line of defense.
And what do you suggest we do, huh?
Njinga!
You can use Imbangala warriors.
What?
I'm not putting Ndongo's future
in the hands of those traitors.
[Njinga] Those traitors, they are divided.
Leverage that.
And who better to fight
an Imbangala warrior like Kasanje
than another Imbangala?
[Kellie] The Imbangala are actually
made up of different groups,
so they're not all led by the same person.
[Edson] The Imbangala leaders
have no loyalty to anyone.
They'll even fight each other
if the price is right.
And how do you propose we tame them?
[Njinga] We don't.
We arm them, set them loose,
and buy time to regroup.
And if they stand against us? Hm?
They send us over to these slavers?
They won't.
You're certain, eh?
What other choice do we have?
Hmm?
Send me. I'll convince them myself.
No, it's too risky.
We will use whatever men
we have left in Kabasa
to move against the Portuguese
and Kasanje!
Why?
My decision is final
I meant my son.
[Njinga] Why?
If you had asked me,
I'd have taken him away from here.
So that you'd never feel threatened.
Never see him again.
Why didn't you ask me, Mbande?
Why did you have to take away
the only thing that mattered to me
in this world?
[slow tense music]
The King does what must be done.
[scoffs]
[sobs]
[slow tense music]
[ominous music]
[children chattering]
[Njinga] It's better
that I go find the Imbangala.
I'm afraid, if I stay
I'll do something to the King
that will anger the ancestors.
- But he forbade you to go.
- [Njinga scoffs]
I'm not afraid of him.
He can't kill me twice.
[clicks tongue, sighs]
She won't understand.
I heard you're leaving. Where to?
To find the Imbangala.
What if they capture you
and give you to the slavers?
[Njinga] That's a risk
I'm willing to take.
If it saves us all from being killed
by Mbande's foolishness
with the Portuguese.
Then let Mbande go, it's his mess!
He's the King!
No! He's better off here.
Fine, then I'll come with you.
[Njinga] I need you here,
so that the both of you
can keep an eye on Mbande.
[sobs]
Promise me
you'll look after each other
until I return.
[Kambu] Promise us
you will return.
[sobs]
[Funji] Please come back safe.
[all sobbing]
[Njinga] I love you both.
[Njinga sniffles]
[Luke] Njinga defies her brother
and seeks an alliance
with an Imbangala leader called Kasa.
This is her really acting on her own.
[pensive music]
[King Ngola] You may be
Ndongo's only hope.
[pensive music]
[upbeat music]
[animals screeching]
[Edson] Njinga's taking a huge risk
in seeking out the Imbangala.
They're constantly on the move,
pillaging settlements,
and murdering anyone
who stands in their way.
[animals screeching]
[flies buzzing]
Imbangala were here.
Weapons out!
[flies buzzing]
Careful.
Are you sure about the Imbangala?
[Njinga] No.
But I trust them
more than I trust the Portuguese.
They cut him down from the back.
[Ndambi] Dishonorable.
- War is about honor.
- War is about death.
Make no mistake, Ndambi.
Look around you.
Honor left these battlefields years ago.
[yelling]
[grunts]
[gasps]
- [Kasa] Imbangala!
- [Imbangala warriors chanting]
[Njinga] Everyone, behind me!
[Imbangala warriors chanting]
- Imbangala!
- [Imbangala warriors howl]
- Imbangala!
- [Imbangala warriors howl]
Imbangala!
[Imbangala warriors howl]
[Kasa] Well, look at this.
A woman.
And you are?
Disappointed at you.
Is this how you welcome guests
onto your land?
Guests bring gifts. You?
You have brought a battle ax.
- You brought warriors.
- [Kasa laughs]
True.
[Kasa] Let my warrior go.
Put the ax away and I shall give you
a dagger to play with.
If you insist.
You still have not introduced yourself.
Njinga.
Princess of Ndongo,
sister to King Ngola Mbande.
And you must be Kasa.
[Kellie] The Imbangala leader, Kasa,
is younger than Njinga,
but he has military prowess.
And he has a band of warriors
that she believes
will really serve her well.
I have a proposal for you.
[inhales sharply]
Take your people and leave, princess.
- Now.
- Not
without what I came for.
And what is it that you have come for?
- Your warriors to fight Kasanje
- [laughs]
and the Portuguese.
Is that all?
Now tell me.
What is it that you have brought
in return for this big request?
- Nothing.
- Nothing?
Nothing?
Why would I help you for nothing?
Because I have nothing to lose,
which makes me dangerous.
[yelps]
[grunts]
You don't look very dangerous from here,
Princess Njinga of Ndongo.
Really?
- [Kasa gasps]
- [Njinga laughs softly]
[laughing]
Are you ready to talk now?
Or do you still want me
to play with your dagger?
[closing theme music]