Topics in Global Race and Ethnicity (AAS 303)

Category: #4 – Review of Black Panther

Overlooking the Flaws; Black Panther’s Strength as a Cultural Moment

A vibrant and engaging tale of archetypal conflict, Black Panther emerged as a significant cultural event in not only Black representational art, but in the American cannon of cinema as a whole. A movie that invoked feelings of wonder across generations, it redesigned and upgraded the typical action hero story as an Afro-futurist, utopian drama. Millions of black families made trips to watch the film into a significant affair; wearing coordinated outfits in support of the movie’s aesthetic flair. The fictional nation of Wakanda, whose lush green landscapes and crisp, vivid imagery, inspired a generation and reopened a century-long discourse on the ideal role of black internationalism in the global sphere. While there are significant flaws in some of the details of the movie, it served as an important moment in society’s imagining of black cultural expression.

The movie opens with a brief synopsis of the set of events that created Wakanda and led to the crux of the movie’s mission; the problem of vibranium, an indestructible element that Wakandans are tasked with protecting. Wakanda, seen as a sort of Eden for African intellectual excellence, is the tucked-away home to the Black Panther, named T’Challa. After his father’s death, he returns home to Wakanda to take his place as king, only to be tested by several powerful enemies. This conflict forces him to make a leadership decision that would forever alter the fate of not only his home but also the condition of the world’s powers. The story introduces a classic, if not cliché villain, Ulysses Klaue, an underworld arms dealer with a cavalier Afrikaans attitude (perhaps a comment on the political controversy of Afrikaners in South Africa). However, the more compelling antagonist is Erik Killmonger, a slick-talking army man from Oakland. The story jumps around from Wakanda to South Korea, offering aesthetically pleasing cinematic shots with an artistic flourish.

What is truly intriguing to me is how the movie dispenses with but also reinforces certain binaries with regards to African/African-American cultural diaspora. Life in Wakanda is simultaneously urban and rural, futuristic, yet agrarian, with an emphasis on both progress and tradition. With visuals such as spaceships shooting past thatched top-structures, viewers are certainly presented with different conceptions of Afro-futurism than often presented in major American films.  However, there are other ways that the film affirms certain simplified binary conceptions of racial politics that should not be taken as all-encompassing representations of black global freedom ideologies. While a portrayal of a “Third World” country having more advanced technology than “First World” countries is subversive, there are aspects to the rendering of African cultures as mystically and spiritually gifted that has roots in a more problematic portrayal of black characters in American fiction. The trope of the Magical Negro is a supporting stock character who often comes to the aid of white protagonists in a film. While certainly white characters are a minority in this film and black characters are the leading figures throughout the film, the romanticizing of black characters and their magical capabilities is certainly reminiscent of a troubling pattern. (A theme that becomes more notable when considering Black Panther within the context of the Marvel machine). As for what Wakanda could represent; it seems to be more of a powerful symbol for the African American imagination than any tangible idea; not unlike the concept of Ethiopia in Harlem Renaissance-era concepts as the home of African excellence. Ultimately the movie pushes a moral that in order to progress as a society, one must lift up other nations and share successes.

T’Challa sermonized near the end of the movie, “’In times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers”.

This statement is a beautiful sentiment, however, it fails to sufficiently acknowledge the more insidious history of European powers colonizing and stealing resources from African countries for centuries. Further, the tension between Killmonger and T’Challa creates a false dichotomy of perspectives in Black liberation theory, posing that there are only two possible schools of thought. Not to mention, the movie fails to acknowledge the role of Black Caribbeans in diasporic dialogues. There are many holes one can poke in the theoretical arguments that Black Panther puts forth, however, as a film, I’m not sure its purpose was to address these concerns. The strength of the film is not in its commitment to an accurate portrayal of the contours of Black Freedom, but rather the first of many steps to both a broader discussion of black politics and the role of representation in films as a whole. So, the movie doesn’t have to advance a revolutionary theory, as it isn’t marketed as a documentary, but rather, as an expression of cultural difference. As such, it marks a key moment in the Black American imagination and sparked important conversations about building global diasporic relationships.

A Divided Diaspora: Marvel’s Black Panther Review

Being Marvel’s 18th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s long-running film saga, Black Panther shattered records, expectation, and Marvel’s tradition of writing lackluster villains. Ryan Coogler’s third film as a director solidified his standing as a directorial powerhouse as he had consistently imbued his films with nuance and a social awareness that is especially astute. Coogler carried into Black Panther the same meticulous attention to detail and care for the art of narrative that he showcased in Fruitvale Station and Creed. Powerful, exciting, inspiring– Marvel’s Black Panther became a global phenomenon thanks to the artists both behind and in front of the screen that obviously nurtured this project and strove to create something that would resonate with audiences, especially Black audiences, across the globe. Black Panther, which is the film adaptation of the Marvel Comics hero by the same name, aligns itself with the Afrofuturism tradition as a film that serves as a celebration of Black culture throughout the African diaspora. (Note: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s first writing of T’Challa happens in 1966 predating the establishment of the Black Panther Party by nearly a year). Black Panther is a story that uplifts Black voices and bodies and realizes Black people’s potential as the film is circumscribed by a that has been untouched by white imperialism or supremacy. In the fictional world of Wakanda, Africa, Wakandans are free to fulfill their potential that otherwise, obstensibly, would have been stifled if they existed outside of their sequestered society which thy so strategically hid away from the rest of the outside world. Taking place after his father’s death in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther follows T’Challa’s tumultuous and taxing journey of inheriting the throne of Wakanda and officially becoming Wakanda’s protector as he also inherited the role of the Is he inherited the mantle of becoming Black Panther. In assuming the role of Black Panther, T’challa is fitted with the Black Panther suit which is nearly indestructible, high-tech armor created by his little sister Sherri who is a technological genius and who is arguably the star of the film with her quick-wittedness and grounded humor.

Following with the awesome use portrayal of women as strong independent figures King T’Challa is protected by Okoye, the head soldier in the female-led bodyguard group known as the Dora Milaje. The plot is complicated when Ulysses Klaue, a South African arms-dealer whose intention was to steal vibranium from Wakanda and auction it off (Klaue was introduced to the MCU back in Avengers: Age of Ultron and also made an appearance in Captain America: Civil War) teamed up with the film’s ultimate antagonist Erik Killmonger. While it is Klause’s intention is to steal vibranium, Erik Killmonger had the intention is to take back what he feels he rightfully is owed– the Wakandan throne. Erik Killmonger’s story and inevitable character development is what gives the film it incredible nuance and striking political discourse. Erik Killmonger’s story begins in Oakland, California where he was raised. After playing with his friends outside, Erik goes up to his apartment and is met with his dad’s dead body. Erik’s father N’Jobu had apparently been smuggling vibranium out of Wakanda and selling it to the highest bidder. Upon hearing this news, King T’Chaka (T’Challa’s father and predecessor to the throne and the Black Panther mantle) goes to confront N’Jobu about his crime against Wakanda. The argument ends badly as T’Chaka ends up killing who was actually his brother N’Jobu. Here, we see the beginnings of a tension between putting your nation, your political ideologies, and the priority and solidarity of family, of blood relationship. The latter interpretation lends itself to the broader implications of the film that speaks to Erik Killmonger’s ideologies. The main question of the film that T’Challa must understand for him is whether or not to open Wakanda’s borders and share with the world the vibranium. As a traditionalist, T’Challa champions for isolationism. Yet, Killmonger’s character works not only to contrast T’Challa, but also Killmonger serves as a mirror for T’Challa.  These two ideologies are what we find are at war with one another, coming to a head in a climactic CGI-laden battle scene where Erik Killmonger is ultimately defeated.

Political discourse is not new within the MCU as we’ve seen it being tackled in Captain America: Winter Soldier with the problem of surveillance and also in Captain America Civil War with the issue of the extent of governmental involvement in every-day lives. But, Black Panther is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that tackles its politics directly foregrounding in the film’s political discourse. Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole both wrote Black Panther with the intention of having Wakanda stand as a sort of symbol and as an exemplary utopia. Their goal was to show the potentiality for African people to succeed if they had not been subjugated or colonized by white imperialists. Yet, Coogler also, while he paints this vision of a sort of utopic nation tackles the troubling politics of what allowed for this nation to succeed in its isolationist ideologies. These ideologies harkento the ideologies of America’s right-wing in terms of the “America First” politics that called for America to embrace isolationist ideologies. There is also an underlying implication that in order for a nation such that belongs to groups who would otherwise be oppressed by the dominative forces of the world to thrive, they would have to be cut off entirely from the rest of the world and concerned only with their own success and survival. There’s a sense of Garveyism in creating one’s own nation as separate to that of those who could be oppressors and Wakanda as a construct takes that idea of Garveyism and shifts it to its extreme. There’s a tension in that it is the African king who is a champion for isolation and that Killmonger, raised as an American, is aware of the harmful consequences that isolationism reaps. Killmonger fights. though still for sort of Garveyistic agenda in that he wishes to separate Blacks from the rest of the world by putting them in in positions of power, but he understands this greater duty to serving the African diaspora as a descendant of peoples of Africa himself. Ultimately, Killmonger believes in a sort of Black global community, a Black global power whereas King T’challa believes in an isolated Wakandan nation.

 

 

 

 

Black Panther and Diasporic Consciousness

The blockbuster Marvel film, based on its title superhero character “Black Panther,” made shockwaves across the globe upon its release in January 2018 for the compelling and original storyline, the representation and portrayal of black and female characters, and the diversity in its cast.

The film is centered in the futuristic Wakanda, an isolated and technologically advanced African civilization that is hidden away from the world. Wakanda is rich in natural resources including vibranium, an element that allows it to develop its advanced technology, and an herb that gives its eater superhuman strength and speed. The nation’s culture is also incredibly rich, as demonstrated by its unique music, clothing, cultural and military tradition, and political structure. For onlookers, however, the country looks like a destitute, developing nation with nothing to boast but “textiles, shepherds, and cool outfits.”

T’Challa, the heir to the throne, returns home to Wakanda in the midst of internal and external turmoil. Despite his bloodline, he is challenged by the leader of a rival tribe to ritual combat for the crown. T’Challa ultimately wins but a more dangerous threat to the nation looms in the duo of Ulysses Klaue, a white arms dealer desperate for vibranium, and Erik Killmonger, a Wakandan who feels resentment for his father’s death and Wakanda’s inaction in a time of tremendous disenfranchisement of black people around the globe. Ultimately, after a series of events, Killmonger gains control over Wakanda by ritual combat and hatches a plan to distribute Wakandan weapons forged by vibranium to black people around the world. It is left to T’Challa and his allies to stop Killmonger and disrupt this plan. When the smoke clears, Killmonger dies from a battle wound, choosing to die free than be healed and be incarcerated. After the fighting, T’Challa chooses to open up Wakanda and offer Wakandan technology and support to the rest of the world, with a focus in Oakland where Killmonger was raised.

Within the plot, the film engaged with the global black freedom struggle in several different ways. Primarily however, it pitted two sides against one another (i.e. Oakland vs Wakanda, T’Challa vs Killmonger) and made an argument through the contrast. First, the stark contrast between how Oakland and Wakanda are portrayed serves as evidence for what Ryan Coogler, the director of the film, sees as ideal. Wakanda represents “Haiti” in the sense that it was a nation free from colonization and imperialism. The resulting success of the nation points to the inhibiting and exploitative nature of imperialism, specifically American imperialism. Coogler completely flips the idea of American exceptionalism on its head with the opening scenes of each locale. When Oakland is introduced, it seems hopeless. Children – the future hope of the generation – are out in the park at night playing basketball on a makeshift and dilapidated hoop, physically separated by a fence from seemingly everything else. On the other hand, Wakanda is first depicted as a beautiful place with lush greenery, splendor, wealth, and magnificent colors all in the bright aura of the sun. The stark contrast between the two locations demonstrates the two possible realities for black peoples in the context of Western imperialism – repression under its yoke and the prosperity that seemingly results from isolation from it.

Secondly, there are many scenes (especially the fight scenes) that juxtapose Killmonger and T’Challa and their competing philosophies and notions of the global black freedom struggle. The scenes with the two of them frequently set them up as equal and opposite. To me, the tension between Killmonger and T’Challa closely mirrors that of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout the film, Killmonger is fueled by anger over the murder of his father and the Wakandans’ inaction in suffering black peoples across the globe. As such, he seeks black separatism and self-actualization by arming the oppressed with Wakandan weaponry. On the other hand, T’Challa seeks peace and prosperity for the people under his reign. Although he starts in the black separatist camp in the beginning, he decides to bring the white injured CIA agent back to Wakanda to heal him and ultimately chooses to open up Wakanda to the world, which reflects an assimilationist attitude. Presently, American media tends to demonize Malcolm X and idolize Martin Luther King Jr. However, the film does a good job of demonstrating that both characters are justified in their decisions and ideologies. Both ultimately seek the wellbeing of those they believe are entrusted to them. For T’Challa, his interests lie primarily in the wellbeing of his people whereas Killmonger aches for the “2 billion people all over the world that looks like us” but have “harder” lives. Ultimately, the film sides with T’Challa and the peaceful assimilationist approach with his decision to open up Wakanda to the world. In that decision, however, one can see the effect Killmonger had on T’Challa in his final moments when T’Challa decides to open up an outreach center in Killmonger’s neighborhood.

Ultimately, the primary theme that takes precedent even over the battle between isolationism vs assimilation, nonviolence vs violence, etc. is the importance of global black solidarity. In a recent interview, Ryan Coogler, the director of the film, discusses a particular scene in which the three main characters of the scene are dressed in red, green, and black, the colors of the Pan-African flag. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNHc2PxY8lY) They then proceed to fight together successfully against the white supervillain in pursuit of vibranium. In addition to the allusion to Pan Africanism and its power, there is a moment of black solidarity and mutual understanding and respect between T’Challa and Killmonger in their final scene together. The moment is incredibly powerful because the two enemies come together and recognize that they are seeking analogous things and have a moment of mutual respect.

The film represents an incredible moment in contemporary black culture because it was truly empowering to so many black people across the globe to see themselves on the screen as wealthy, prosperous, attractive, powerful, and moral heroes and heroines.

Black Panther Review

Black Panther is an engaging film of the futuristic African country Wakanda, covertly hidden from the rest of the world, that grapples with diplomatic questions of protectionism and secrecy despite its ability to share its highly advanced technological achievements to intervene in the many real and troubling crises facing the modern world we live in. It is a film that is presented in a lighthearted and comfortable way but actually delves into deeper spiritual, ethical, and geopolitical themes which challenge the viewer to rethink the political and social statuses and status quos of our modernity.

The premise of the film, an African nation with secret superpowers, unknown to the world but envied by the few who know, itself generated a certain excitement for politically engaged viewers and many members of the black community. Psychologically, it offers a counter-narrative to the narrative we are inadvertently pummeled with daily, a symbolism of Africa and persons of African descent as under-developed, as the ones in need of help or hand-outs from the rest of the world; rather, the world is in need of Wakanda. Even if just a movie, the power in the imagination to present pride, dignity, and empowerment of a country in Africa planning to lead others and set the stage on their terms rather than on a European-normative mainstream seems inspiring and even exciting, a way to break out of status quo in a lighthearted but nevertheless meaningful way, if only for the two hours of an imaginary film based upon a comic book.

Wakanda is set as a futuristic scientifically-advanced nation in contrast to the everyday modern world we live in rife with problems, highlighted early on as the plot zooms in to a small child growing up in poverty in Oakland, California, presented to us first on an instantly-relatable basketball hoop, as an instantly-relatable young child. Before we know it, the viewer sees as tragedy strikes his life. He loses his father at a young age and grows up with a resentment of those who killed his father, a mission to conquer the world using the resources of Wakanda, and has a name proportional to his hatred, calling himself Killmonger. His hatred of Wakanda stems from his father’s mission to end Wakanda’s isolationism and share its resources with the desperately-needing world, which he of all people relates to during his tragic and turbulent childhood. But his hatred also derives from his eventual knowledge that his father was killed by the former king of Wakanda, King Tchaka, who in a terrible moral and personal dilemma makes the decision in an attempt to save another Wakandan’s life.

Killmonger opposes Wakanda’s geopolitical choice of isolationism and wants it to share its assistance with the world. This resonates with dilemmas of the US and other nations to provide assistance, relief, education, and infrastructure to less developed nations. According to the film, one of the main ways Wakanda would be able to help the broken world around them would be to help share its technology. The image of a African nation as the provider and leader is inspiring and exciting, in contrast to being a land in need, it is the rest of the world in need of the powers of Africa. However, there is an eerie resonance, about what exactly it is Africa has to offer the world, when we see that one of Wakanda’s unique offerings is Vibranium, a unique “natural resounce” found nowhere else in the world. It is this near-magically powerful metal, given in a mythic ancient act to the five tribes of Wakanda, that is what allowed their society to develop so far beyond other nations and create their many social and intellectual advancements: a society, to a large extent, devoid of fighting due to the peace, afforded presumably due to the plenitude; and intellectual and scientific advancements from, presumably, the stability of society to devote time and resources to progression of knowledge. This resource Vibranium, being kept carefully hidden from outsiders, resonates eerily with the historical view of Africa and other less developed nations of the 18th and 19th centuries as places that did offer something to contribute to the world around them: resources*. During this era, less militarily and technologically developed nations around the world were colonized and exploited for natural resources such as “metals” that allowed colonizing powers to develop greater technology, military strength, and economic prowess, to further dominate other nations and outcompete each other.

Killmonger is the villain of the story, and he is determined to gain the Wakandan Vibranium and their military and technology to conquer the world. He states his goal to “liberate” and rescue the world, and presumably his goal is to continue his father’s mission. However, his actions tell a different story. He has an extremely simplistic and in fact odd approach, where he doesn’t question his plan of violence and conflict at any point with even the smallest amount of self-reflection. He never wonders if he could simply talk to the Wakandans about his difference in ideology; gain their favor by impressing them with his abilities; or try and resolve the cause of his father’s death. Instead he incipiently attempts to defeat the current King Tchalla in hand to hand combat and shows no mercy, no interest in knowing his close relative, no interest in knowing the people or culture of Wakanda to see what he thinks of them, before immediately challenging him to the death. This seems implausible to someone whose overarching goal is liberation.

In contrast to the other vibrant, interesting, and dynamic personalities, I find his character very undeveloped and we are offered no insight into his one-sided psychology of hatefulness except perhaps the over simplistic reason that his father was killed. This fails to illuminate any of the complexities we see in real world politics and why certain political actors profess military force as the most correct, or at least, purportedly the most “realistic” way of engaging with and impacting the world.

Killmonger seems like a paper character with no depth behind him. He has scars on his body marking every person he has killed. He seems simplistic like a cartoon. This serves its role given this is a superhero movie, a caricature; yet, does this simplistic model suggest something else? The level of simplicity apparent when Killmonger assumes his “purpose” to gain the throne of Wakanda, to depose the Wakandan king, to lead Wakanda to takeover the world seems implausible. Yet, perhaps this is intended to emphasize the overarching assumptions of viewers of the film, as Americans, as individual citizen global actors, or as political leaders. 

Are there certain narratives we, too, take for granted? Are we limited in the way we see our roles in global geopolitics, or in our own homes? Do we lack imagination to seek alternatives, and simply work for progress within the limitations of the systems pre-existent and easily available to us? Maybe Killmongers oversimplification helps us become self-aware of our own prejudices, and question what psychological factors may have led to our perceived obstacles in the ways we conceive of global and local issues like conflict, hierarchy, power, and poverty. 

Nevertheless, the oversimplified character Killmonger is part of the simplistic narratives of hero and villain portrayed not only in cartoons, but also in Hollywood, and serves to distort and undercomplicate geopolitics and interpersonal interhuman complexities. Conflict is not simple; humans are not one-sided. And political actors are not Killmongers: most of them have complex reasons, if not self-interest and personal gain, which certainly play a role, the complexity of political leaders to approach difficult questions and come to a correct approach is not conveyed in the simplistic Hollywood villain. Our real-world villains are not as easy to point out.

I also feel that it glorifies intelligence and respectability as defined by technology, power, and reverence for all things bright and shiny. Indeed, I find it hard to imagine how a blockbuster movie, perhaps, could avoid doing such a thing: this is part of the bells and whistles, the activity on screen. In addition, the setting is supposed to be science fiction and futuristic, and it is hard for futuristic sci-fi type genre to not inadvertently glorify technology, since a huge part of the narrative is attempting to capture this futuristic sci-fi world. Thus the film will certainly want to wow the viewers with shiny images of faster, bigger, technologies. Nevertheless, does this reify American meritocracy, the imagined availability of goods to all, due to trickle-down, everyone having an “equal chance” to the goods of society, and promises of access that are never fulfilled? The idealization of technology is part of what allows America to deny its problems because it purports to make up for problems with material gains that are so bright and shiny they appear universal and accessible to all. Everyone can feel a “part of” society because everyone in America can have an iPhone no matter who you are, but in the bigger picture we still have failed to offer equal access to the goods of society. This idealization prevents people from questioning their ostracization in society when they are offered the promise of American idealism, and these excuses are what allow narrative to continue for American exceptionalism.

In addition, this film equates technology with progress. The Wakandan technology is what Wakanda wants to offer to share with the world. While it is difficult to not equate technology and material advancement with progress, especially in the context of abject poverty both in the way it was pictured in the US with the film’s characfters in Oakland, as well as the film’s coverage of African poverty, it is a nevertheless a mistake to equate material progress with all progress. This film did glorify technology in such a way, not only in its text but also in its subtext. The overarching theme (the text) of the film could not be changed without changing the entire plot: a glorification of an African country for being the most developed country, not just socially and educationally but also in terms of military and technology. How else could the movie show a military showdown between good and evil without this text? In addition the subtext is in the characters conversations about the reason Wakanda is different from other nations. They explain it is not due to genius or something inherent about the Wakandan people, just due to technology. This glorifies technology: or does it? Or perhaps, does it take a subtle jab at the dominance of certain nations over others in our real world today?

*obviously, and also for labor depending on the nation

Black Panther: Its Impact on Developing Diasporic Relationships

Director Ryan Coogler’s visual adaptation of the 1966 Marvel comic,  Black Panther has been more than well received since it release in February of last year. The film combines breathtaking visuals, the usual quirky Marvel comedy, and Afro-futuristic costumes to tell the aspirational and exciting story of T’Challa (Black Panther)  and how he handles his new responsibilities as King of the mystical nation of Wakanda after the death of his father.

It begins with an explanation of Wakanda’s existence. The nation was formed through the union of five tribes that were fighting over a valuable meteorite that fell and contained an extremely potent metal (vibranium) by a warrior who  would ingest this vibranium and become the first Black Panther. Since the nation’s founding, the people of Wakanda have been using this vibranium to develop technologies more advanced than the world has ever seen before, but also to remain hidden from the rest of the world as a means of protecting their most valuable resource, and they are thriving ever since.

Bringing the story to the near present, the movie shifts to Oakland, California in 1992, where we find out that Sterling Brown who plays N’Jobu, the uncle of T’Challa, was supposed to be working as a Wakandan secret agent, but instead was covertly selling vibranium weapons to the marginalized Black American people in the area, and because of his betrayal, he is killed by T’Challa’s father, T’Chaka, the current king of Wakanda. He does so without realizing that N’Jobu has a son, but when he finds out that he has left his own nephew without a father, he abandons the child in Oakland and returns home.

The bulk of the movie occurs in the present, where N’Jobu’s son, Erik Stevens (Killmonger)  is all grown up and harboring decades of hurt and anger towards his Wakandan family members. In a plot to depose T’Challa and become the king of Wakanda, Killmonger, who had killed and trained for years prior to this time, plots to obtain  vibranium and destroy Wakanda by colluding with a long time enemy of Wakanda, Ulysses Klaue (Klaw). T’Challa partners up with the many powerful characters beside him, namely, Nakia, his ex-girlfriend, Shuri, his sister, Okoye, the leader of the all-female Dora Milaje army, and member of the CIA agent Everett Ross to defeat Killmonger and Klaw in order to maintain his control over Wakanda.

While this movie is first and foremost a Marvel production, Coogler infuses some elements and references  of Black political thought into the films ubiquitous plot, that made for conversation starters on the nature of the global black freedom struggle and the “state of the diaspora.” The film does a good a job through the Killmonger character of demonstrating the inextricable ties between the African diaspora and the motherland. While Killmonger is an Oakland man through and through, from the accent, the style of dress, and the mannerisms–his ties to Wakanda are inherent, and represented visually by the glowing symbol on the inside of his mouth, a sign of Wakandan origins. This is where the connection ends.

The movie casts aside the possibility of a radical global black solidarity as the ultimate goal as it positions Black American people and African people as enemies incapable of resolve, which is represented through Killmonger’s relentless strive to kill T’Challa and take control of the land. In the end, the movie advocates for a kind of internationalism that does not create coalitions between ideologically (if not literally oppressed) groups but through the same neoliberal structures that indirectly seek to usurp control over the resources of the primitive and uncivilized Africans to then disseminate as they see fit.

This interpretation  stems from the final scene of the movie where T’Challa delivers a speech at a conference for the United Nations. His tone is smug as he feels some sort of triumph over defeating the notion of the backwards African by finally exposing Wakanda to the world and proving the audience wrong about their colonial assumptions about the African continent. This scene comes on after the initial credits roll, but what has just taken place beforehand is Killmonger’s death. His death is one of the most poignant parts of film, as he is given the opportunity to be healed but chooses death than to be imprisoned by T’Challa. He says, “bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships. Because they knew death was better than bondage.” This message is powerful, as it references those who died on the way to the Americas, and infuses agency into their actions by asserting that death was their final articulation of their own bodily autonomy, for arriving to the New World meant the end of that.

Where this quote becomes troublesome is through its use as a stinging clapback to T’Challa and the legacy of Wakanda. The placement of this quote is undoubtedly one of the attempts at the inclusion ofcontemporary social commentary by Coogler to make this a more politically conscious movie. However, it has the effect of furthering the distance between African people, who based on public reception are all represented by Wakanda, and the descendants of American chattel slaves. This distancing that leads to heated discussion outside of the theater is not based in anything historically real, as Wakanda is a fictional place located in East Africa, and not on the Western coast. Killmonger’s embodiment as Black American representation is interesting because he is also not the descendant of enslaved people. In this instance, by taking this film as a true representation of diasporic relationships in our time, two major groups are erased–black people in the Caribbean and South America, and almost more dangerously, white supremacy as a global actor that through empire and the slave trade this dispersal is created.

The erasure/silencing of white supremacy and people and the violent role that they play in the conditions of of Black Americans in the U.S. as well as the conditions of African people’s outside of Wakanda is one of the movie’s biggest disappointments, but not one that is unsurprising due to the fact that it is marketed to all people. The movies true motives are explained through the typical use of the white savior, represented by the CIA agent Ross. The depiction of the CIA (who have historically targeted resistance movements) as heroes through this character removes any revolutionary impetus and directly impedes the need for black global solidarity.

All in all, Black Panther was a beautiful movie in terms of representation, especially through its depictions of Black women in positions of power and strength. It did represent some organizational structures that have existed in the history of Black activism, albeit problematic ones, namely that of the strong and charismatic male leader, while the women are only expected to support their leader no matter what. The movie does, however, show through the agency of T’Challa’s love interest Nakia,  that while expected to stay in the background, they are doing some of the most important mobilizing work.

Critiques aside, the experience of watching the film as a Black person is electric, as it fosters community in the theater and provides a way to engage in Black culture that is inclusive of all members of the diaspora. But it is not as revolutionary or disabling as it is sometimes depicted as being.

 

Black Panther and the Black Freedom Struggle

Black Panther takes viewers on a journey to a fictional African nation, Wakanda, filled with wealth, advanced technology, and, most importantly, strong Black leaders. Amongst them, King T’Challa stands out as an individual fighting for the protection and continued existence of his nation, which to non-Wakandan’s is a third world country struggling to survive. The narrative takes viewers through T’Challa’s fight for power as a new member of the royal clang emerges, the American Killmonger, and briefly leads Wakanda towards a vengeful overthrowing of the world through violence. As this occurs, the film provides glimpses into the points of view of various characters with competing notions of racial consciousness and black internationalism. At its core, the narrative allows viewers to wrestle with the question of whether Wakanda should open its resources to Black people all around the world and stand up for those that have been oppressed for generations. However, in its journey to the answer, the film undoubtedly villainizes the radical methods proposed for freeing Blacks in other nations.

 

“If the world found out what we truly are, what we possess, we could lose our way of life.”-T’Challa

As our first point of view, T’Challa’s logic is one of a protector. Given the experiences of Black individuals across the world—the ways in which they have been oppressed, mistreated, and regarded as less than—it is not dumbfounded that T’Challa wants to keep his people save from those ills. He knows that if Wakanda is viewed as anything other than a third world country, others will come in and steal its resources and attempt to overthrow all they have built. However, in attempting to protect his own, T’Challa is blatantly disregarding the experiences of those who are not shielded (literally) by the walls of Wakanda and abandoning them in the same way the rest of the world has. He is prioritizing safety and longevity over solidarity.

 

“You let the refugees in, you let in all their problems.” -W’Kabi

When T’Challa begins considering the ways in which Wakanda can aid the world—primarily by allowing those in need to come in to its border—viewers are faced with another answer to the film’s question. W’Kabi urges T’Challa to keep the borders closed, in fear of ending Wakanda, but goes on to propose that they to go out into the world and conquer territories. This leads viewers to assume that while bringing refugees in is not desirable, nations with access to immense resources should be obligated to help those in need around the world. In this way, the film makes a large commentary on the refugee crisis occurring all over the world during the movie’s premier. While the conquering perspective is one that leads back to a long journey of torture for those colonized, the key point remains that Wakanda, and countries like it, should not sit back and watch those in need suffer.

 

“The world’s gonna start over, and this time we’re on top. The sun will never set on the Wakandan empire.”-Killmonger

As the film’s most radical character, Killmonger is portrayed as an individual who has internalized the colonizers’ predilection for aggression and dominance. His words are quite similar to those uttered about the British Empire, “on which the sun never sets.” The “sun” part is an allusion to a famous saying about the British Empire at the height of its powers. It meant that because Britain had so much colonial territory around the world that it was literally always daytime in at least some part of the empire. While his desires are valid, wanting to set free the individuals who have been shackled since the days of slavery, Killmonger’s violent extremes, portrayed by desires to conquer the world by killing anyone who opposes him, allows viewers to see him in the light of a villain who is just as bad as the world’s colonizers. In this lies my biggest critique of the film. Taking into account Killmonger’s death, and the ways in which he has been excluded from Wakanda and its community, his opinions are shoved under the rug and villainized when in reality he is fighting for Blacks across the world to have access to something that is technically ‘theirs,’ by virtue of Wakanda being the birthplace of all.

 

“Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows…We will work to be an example of how we as brothers and sisters on this earth should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than divides us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe.” T’Challa

While Killmonger was widely villainized, in the end credits of the movie viewers are able to witness the ways in which T’Challa shifts the standard of Wakanda and, in non-violent ways, adopts what Killmonger desired. Though at one point afraid of change, by the end of the movie T’Challa stands for global black solidarity. He establishes an outreach center at the building in Oakland where N’Jobu died and intends for the center to the first in a series of efforts by Wakanda to help uplift impoverished communities around the world. Nonetheless, his change of mind, while admirable in that it aims to empower the larger Black community, would have been more powerful if instead of letting Killmonger die he would have attempted to work with him in order to fulfil the necessary narrative shift with the help of someone who has actually lived outside of Wakanda. Largely, while Black Panther will always be an admirable movie filled with much needed representation, it is vital that viewers take into account the larger messages the film portrays when it comes to the Black freedom Struggle.

Imagining a new world: Black Panther Film Review

Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and directed by Ryan Coogler. With a running time of 134 minutes, this film explores power struggles in Wakanda – a fictional, advanced African kingdom that has developed technology by using the fictional metal Vibranium while keeping their resources hidden from the rest of the world.

At the beginning of the film, Wakanda’s King T’Chaka, the original Black Panther, dies during a terrorist attack, opening the door to the rise of T’Chaka’s son, T’Challa, to the throne. At his coronation ceremony, T’Challa successfully overcomes a challenge presented by M’Baku – the leader of the Jabari Tribe. In consequence, T’Challa becomes Wakanda’s King and the Black Panther. In one of his first rulings, T’Challa decides to seek to bring Wakandan enemy Ulysses Klaue to justice, organizing a capture mission that takes place in South Korea. With the help of the head of Wakanda’s armed forces Okoye and his ex-lover and Wakandan spy Nakia, T’Challa captures Klaue, giving him to American intelligence operative Everett Ross. Eric Stevens – the son of T’Chaka’s brother, Njobu, and a U.S. black ops soldier that goes by “Killmonger” – helps Klaue to escape, later killing him and bringing him to the Wakandan border. As he is allowed in, Killmonger challenges and defeats T’Challa in ritual combat. While everyone thinks T’Challa is dead, Killmonger takes power and prepares to share Wakanda’s vibranium-powered weapons with marginalized people around the world, seeking the violent overthrow of powerful governments. T’Challa, who wants to keep Wakanda’s vibranium hidden from the rest of the world, is rescued by the Jabari, and healed by Nakia, Ross, his sister Shuri, and his mother Ramonda. T’Challa returns to fight Killmonger, causing a battle between Okoye’s army and W’Kabi’s army. With the help of M’Baku and the Jabari, T’Challa and Okoye’s army win. Killmonger commits suicide. The movie ends with the creation of a Wakandan outreach center in Oakland, CA and with T’Challa’s appearance at the United Nations to reveal Wakanda’s power.

Overall, this film makes us think about competing notions of racial consciousness and Black internationalism. Primarily, it showcases the differences between Africans and African Americans. While T’Challa wants Wakanda to remain isolated from the world, US-raised Killmonger seeks the international unity of all people of African descent. Clearly, one of the factors creating such a competing notion could be the varying ways in which each character was raised; T’Challa was raised as a member of the Wakanda kinship and Killmonger was raised in a poor community in Oakland, California. As well, these two characters differ in regards to their support for the potential emergence of international Black revolution. While Killmonger strongly believes in overthrowing governmental structures around the world to empower historically marginalized people, T’Challa takes a more cautious approach, eventually utilizing the United Nations as a forum to establish avenues of international cooperation with other countries. This difference in perspective is also perceived through a generational lens, with the elder leaders supporting caution while younger leaders like W’Baka support a more revolutionary approach.

Significantly, through the characterization of T’Challa as the hero and Killmonger as the villain, it appears that the film takes a stance on several issues, especially in regards to global Black solidarity. Primarily, the film sends a clear message against the kind of Africa-led-global-revolution that Killmonger wants. Instead, it argues for international cooperation between people of African descent around the world. Most importantly, through the utilization of the United Nations, the film’s message is not one against the global status quo. In fact, as I read it, the film asserts the role of predominantly western institutions in the construction of global Black solidarity. In doing so, the film also stood against T’Challa’s initial isolationist perspective, which was not only criticized by Killmonger but by other key characters that surrounded T’Challa. For instance, for a long time, T’Challa’s ex-lover Nakia has advocated for the end of Wakanda’s self-imposed isolation. She thought that Wakanda could use its resources to help African descendants around the world. Therefore, in general, the film takes a moderate approach to questions about Black internationalism.

Finally, through the conceptualization of the powerful Wakanda, Black Panther provides an imaginative, alternative history of the African continent and its descendants. Particularly, the film accentuates Wakanda’s historical efforts to protect itself by maintaining its power and resources hidden from the rest of the world, leading audience members to ask two important questions. First, what would be Africa’s reality today had it not been colonized and exploited by Imperial super-powers? Second, can a Black State only operate successful if clandestine?

Ultimately, history has shown us the inability of global super-powers to respect the sovereignty of Black and Brown countries. Imagining the film’s continuation, it is likely that now that Wakanda’s power has been exposed to the rest of the world, the international community will demand the redistribution of the country’s vibranium. Or, perhaps, an anti-Wakanda international front will be formed to extract the Black country’s wealth and natural resources. If not, can we imagine a world where global white supremacy allows a Blackity-black state like Wakanda to become the World’s super-power?

Wakanda, Forever!

History in Action #4 – Review Black Panther

Instructions:

1. Watch (or re-watch) the movie Black Panther (2018) available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube (for rent).

**If you do not have access to one of these sites, please email me**

2.  Write a movie review of the film. You review should include the following: a summary of the plot; an analysis of the ways the film engages with the history of the global black freedom struggle (How do the different characters embody competing notions of racial consciousness and/or black internationalism? Does the film have an argument about the importance of global black solidarity? In what ways does Wakanda represent a “Haiti” or “Ethiopia”?–These are just some questions to get you started); and a reflection on the film’s place in contemporary black politics and culture.

3. Post your review to the site by the end of the day on Monday, April 8th. Don’t forget to tag it with the category #4 – Review of Black Panther.

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