The Woman King is an African story told in the form of a Hollywood historical movie .
The movie has won praise for its acting , directing , and for dealing with the idea of female political power .
In the movie , women , led by General Nanisca , fight a war that men cannot .
The film takes place in the 1800s in the Kingdom of Dahomey .
Today the same area is known as Abomey .
Nan Zognidi is the present-day queen mother of Abomey .
She said she teaches young people the same values that the female warriors did : Girls are equal to boys .
Girls are as able and competent as boys .
"They have the same abilities and the same competencies as boys ," she said .
Zognidi's position of queen mother is fully ceremonial .
It helps bring foreign visitors to the area .
But before she became queen mother , Zognidi was a women's rights activist .
Now , she runs a program to teach girls trades that support financial independence .
She teaches the history and culture of Benin .
She also teaches leadership to young people .
She said the queen mother taught her how to work on political activities for women's empowerment .
In the city of Cotonou , a statue of one of Abomey's female warriors was first shown earlier this year .
The United Nations has said Africa needs more of the examples set by the female warriors of Abomey .
That statement comes from U.N .
Women , an arm of the United Nations dedicated to female empowerment .
She noted that , in Africa , women make up 25 percent of the elected assembly .
That number is less than the 30 percent target set by the U.N . in 1995 .
And it is below the 50 percent that many consider the final goal .
Marion Ogeto is a human rights lawyer who works with Equality Now , a non-profit group that advocates female empowerment .
She said the female warriors of Abomey are inspiring .
"This community was way ahead of its time by advocating for an army that is all and only women ,” said Ogeto .
The queen mother , Zognidi , thinks the most important lesson Abomey's warriors teach is that "everything that men can do , women can do today .
We can't say that women are weak , it is wrong ."
Women , she said , are as strong as men .