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Dahomey-Is There Fun There With the Daughters?

Several songs have been written about Dahomey and even a play produced with that name.

The poster announcing the London premiere of In Dahomey at the Shafesbury Theatre, 1903. The poster features the famous cake walk with Bert Williams, acclaimed comedian, at the top of the cake photo.

The real Dahomey was in Africa:

Dahomey (/dəˈhoʊmi/) was an African kingdom (located in the area of the present-day country of Benin) that existed from about 1600 until 1894, when the last king, Behanzin, was defeated by the French, and the country was annexed into the French colonial empire.

Image result for dahomey map

However, there is another Dahomey in Africa, near Casablanca. Though the name is there, I did not find any references to it. Just the Benin citing.

Related image

Harry P. Guy wrote "Daughters of Dahomey" and called it an 'Oriental Ragtime Waltz'. And, of course, Emile Grimshaw wrote "Fun In Dahomey", which may be referring to the play production.

Isn't that interesting?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by thereallyniceman on January 6, 2017 at 9:42

Thanks Hal..very interesting! But I wonder why everyone chose Dahomey?

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Permalink Reply by Trapdoor2 on January 9, 2017 at 0:29

I would say that "Dahomey" was central to much discussion in 18th & 19th cent UK politics. Both the Brits and the French obtained their slaves via trade with the kings there and it was a lucrative, brutal business. Even after the UK stopped the slave trade, there were still financial ties to the area well into the mid 19th cent. By the turn of the 20th cent, it had become simply an exotic place-name. From reading about it, I can imagine that the man-on-the-street would have used the name as a generic for "someplace exotic in Africa" as well as a euphemism for "where black people come from". Much the same as "Ethiopian" or "Senegambian" (or Mexican or Dixie), each conjures a special milieu built of both myth and history.

Add to that: Dahomey is a great word for lyricists having three syllables and an ending in "y"...damn near as rhyming as you could ask for.