mid-19th century (1850s). This was a period of intense global shift—the height of the Victorian era in Britain and the era of powerful, wealthy West African empires like the Benin Empire or the Kingdom of Dahomey. the "race war" is the looming threat of colonial expansion. Your father, the Oba (King), knows the European powers are eyeing his gold and palm oil. He agrees to a diplomatic marriage with a debt-ridden European monarch.