From Vioja Mahakamani to Daktari March 2018 | Page 29
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