From Vioja Mahakamani to Daktari March 2018

Fan’s perspective: Black Panther is a global cultural event B y B enny M cbenne Wakanda Forever! Is a phrase that is pretty much everywhere now. If you have not seen the movie yet, please do. You will not regret it. Some might argue that it is just another ‘superhero’ movie like its Marvel predecessors. Yet from my experience at the cinema and going by the hype and excitement, the movie has created is nothing like I have ever seen before. It is not just another superhero movie, but a global cultural event. I have read and heard tales of entire families and friends creating get- togethers to go see this movie, organizations are scheduling private screenings for their employees across the US, while community activists are setting up online fundraisers so that kids from underprivileged societies get their chance to watch cultural event. The memes are hilarious, the folk super-extra. Coloured folk, has been given a chance to dress up in their favourite Kente designs and costumes that vary across the African content. Thus #TheBlackPatherChallange still trends. And so, whether you watched it during its first weekend, a couple days after, or planning to watch it in the coming days, this event has surely vibrated across the globe. Even before the movie opened worldwide on Feb 16, the first reviews had already hit the internet and critics were already loving the film. So much that the few rotten reviews were trending and vilified. And this is not the case of, say, Suicide Squad (2016) where critics and masses were split on whether to like it or hate it or Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) where critics loved it but the masses, especially the diehard ones, hated it. No, this is a case where Hollywood director Ryan Coogler and the Marvel crew have 29 been able to capture the essence and bring to life a story that both critics and audiences worldwide would love and probably, preach that love. It does not matter if you read the comics or not; it is just that good. The movie can and has been viewed from various societal angles if one chooses to look past entertainment value of the big screen. Judging from the various interview videos that the cast and crew have been doing on TV and online, you also get a sense of passion. There was so much love and passion that the cast believed they could make a good movie, but they would have never guessed how big of an impact it would have. And by changing the usual movie stereotypes of casting people of colour as slaves, drug dealers, and the usual tropes and pitting them as masters of their own advanced civilisation, this narrative will surely play an important role in Afro- contextual societal norms. Perhaps, Black Panther could even challenge some of the poor African countries to question the status quo leadership and corrupt philosophies for something better. So yes, representation matters and the fact that many children of colour now have representative comic heroes, is something that has been debated for many decades. The last couple of years has seen an increasing call on Hollywood to diversify their casting sets and be representative

From Vioja Mahakamani to Daktari March 2018 | Page 29