Wakanda…..
The Epitome of African excellence without the interference of Colonization.
King of Wakanda T’Challa, played by actor Chadwick Boseman, breaks the common stereotype of an African leader plagued by corruption. King T’Challa not only risks his life to keep his throne but to ensure the safety of his people and the sovereignty of his beloved nation – Wakanda. This historic release of Marvel’s first film starring a predominantly black cast incited a tremendous amount of hysteria, earning an estimated 277.5 million domestically and 491.1 million internationally to date. Black Panther’s stunning depiction of African Royalty encouraged movie-goers to attend screenings of the film dressed in their best African inspired attire; this gave birth to the following hashtags: #WakandaForever and #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe.
Photo Courtesy of Buzzfeed
@TerrytheWriter’s tweet shed light on the larger conversation in regards to the lack of dignified representation of black culture in the mass media. The 2016 Academy Awards inspired the social media boycott of #OscarsSoWhite when none of the nominees for a lead or supporting role were black, despite the major box office success of Straight Outta Compton. In many cases when a black actor or actress did win an award, it was for playing roles that pertained to slavery or detrimental events in the black community. Academy Award Winning, Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyongo received her Oscar for playing the role of a slave that was a frequent victim of sexual and physical violence. Black Panther changes this narrative by humanizing the black experience; the film acknowledges the existence of black intellect by accelerating it into a fictitious futuristic world, depicting what Africa could have been without the violent intrusion of Colonialism.
Nonetheless, as an extremely busy college student, I considered waiting almost an entire week after the official release of Black Panther, which was February 16, before I would clear my schedule and see the film. Two nights before Black Panther premiered in theaters, I came across this remarkable Sirius XM interview that featured the entire cast including its director Ryan Coogler. Chadwick Boseman shared this emotional anecdote while he discussed the overall impact of Black Panther.
The actor is brought to tears reminiscing about the time he spent communicating with two, terminal, cancer patients when Black Panther was still under production. These cancer patients happened to be children excited to see a film that starred a superhero that looked like them, desperately hoping that they would be alive to see it. Unfortunately, the two young cancer patients passed away before the movie was released. After watching this interview, I was reminded of the cultural significance of a film like Black Panther. I decided that I had to see this film as soon as possible in order to witness a historical moment that will hopefully shift the narrative of the black experience and offer hope to everyone who sees this film regardless of their race. Black Panther is an undoubtedly astonishing piece of cinematic art that will hopefully ignite a drastic change in the universal depiction of African Culture.