Watching this movie, my life comes into focus

When I was 3, my family emigrated from Kenya to America. I have never wanted to book a one-way flight back home as much as I did after watching the movie “The Woman King” recently.

Seeing the fearless Agojie women left me with a drive to explore more of my family’s history, and a desire to live among the Kikuyu tribe from my mother’s side and become a warrior myself.

Released in September, “The Woman King” tells the story of the Agojie, an all-female unit of warriors known for their courage who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 1800s.

Starring Viola Davis as Gen. Nanisca, the Agojie’s leader, the film explores inequality, historical struggles and triumph.

Emigration has changed me. When you settle in a new place, you leave behind a part of who you are.

Coming to America, I’ve had to quickly adapt to different encounters and expectations in a place I didn’t call home. When you’re young, you desperately want to belong. As an immigrant, that isn’t always possible.

I have two homes, Kenya and America. I will never go back to exactly where I came from because everything has changed, just as I’ve changed in America. I missed out on rituals, hair braiding and dancing together. The interactions with the Dahomey women reminded me of the small experiences that would have been part of my everyday life if I still lived in Kenya.

There’s no more helping my grandmother at her farm or helping my auntie run her market. Gone are the days that were a blend of busy streets and wet roads as passing piki-pikis splashed rain puddles on the walking marketgoers.

Attending school in America,

I rarely saw educators who looked like me. Having role models who look like you can create a bond and build confidence.

When I entered the theater and saw beautiful Black women I could relate to, I felt immediate comfort. Being in the theater was like being in a Black hair shop, waiting alongside young girls to get my hair done and not having to say a word because the energy was there.

“The Woman King” engaged and moved me. Every other scene I was tapping the shoulder of my mother and making sure she was witnessing this masterpiece. When the intense scenes were over, I’d turn to her. My wide-open eyes and mouth spoke for me.

The movie highlights the centuries-long second-class status of women by showcasing how the Agojie women had to fight for their space at whatever cost. It also reminded me how emigrants must also fight for their space and sense of belonging.

If we connect with one another, no one will be in danger of being in a place they can’t call home. What changed that for me was being a military kid. Relocating to different states through the military has been memorable.

We military kids showed up for each other. We were immigrants in our own form. Although sooner or later we’d be torn apart, that sense of belonging gave us confidence in all our future homes.

It’s important that movies like “The Woman King” be made. Movies that speak about the inequalities women face. Movies that tell the stories of immigrants. Movies about Africa. We need more stories about Africa.

It made me reflect on the power of unity displayed by the Agojie warriors and all they endured. It made me reflect on my own changes coming to America, my new home, while longing to again see my first home.

I left the theater finally agreeing to my mother’s idea of visiting Kenya this year. The young girl I was in Kenya doesn’t exist anymore. Time and my struggles, triumphs and experiences, have changed who I am.

When I go back, everything will be familiar but different.