the
BLACK
Welcome to the World of Wakanda, Consider Content,
Context and Colour:
• The Content Is Pan African pride
• The Context Is Post Colonial Africa
Panther exceeded every expectation. It is a significant
• The Colour Is Black Black
game changer for racial representation in cinema. It is the
B
highest grossing film in history directed by a black director and
predominantly black cast. It’s among the only 33 films of all
time to gross over a billion dollars. Grossing 387 million in its
opening weekend; it was number one for over 5 weeks, selling
more pre-sold tickets than any other superhero movie.
Critical questions
Who is Black Panther?
“Black Panther is a fictional superhero appearing in American
comic books published by Marvel Comics… created by writer-
editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby, first appearing in
Fantastic Four #52 (cover-dated July 1966). Black Panther’s real
name is T’Challa, king and protector of the fictional African
nation of Wakanda. Along with possessing enhanced abilities
achieved through ancient Wakandan rituals of drinking the
heart shaped herb, T’Challa also relies on his proficiency in
science, rigorous physical training, hand-to-hand combat
skills and access to wealth and advanced technology to combat
his enemies... He is the first black superhero in American
mainstream comic books... with actual superpowers.”
Why the mixed reviews?
The film’s release on February 16, was met with a media storm
in spite of the film’s record Box Office success. There’s since been
a white supremacist outcry against its ‘ultra pan Africanism’.
It is this deep rooted racism, which pioneers, like Stan Lee,
the co-founder of Marvel, chose to write about by producing
entertainment that was demographically representative. I say,
examine the plethora of ‘Ultra Caucasian’ examples in the same
genre and franchise. Thor per se, is a warrior steeped in Norse
Mythology, the Black Panther is similarly placed in African
Mythology. Chinese cinema showcases its Martial Arts heroes.
Highlighting popular culture in cinima also accounts for the rise
of Taiwanese Dramas, Bollywood (India), Nollywood (Nigeria),
Hallyu Wave (S.Korea) and Japanese Anime, etc...
What is Disney/Marvel Studios objectives?
Marvel Comics/Studios or Disney are entertainment companies
and their objective is to profitably package entertainment. We
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April - June 2018