Why Black Panther is a powerful movie
On its release in 2018, the film Black Panther aroused enthusiasm in all the black communities around the world. They finally had a superhero that looks like them. Through the culture and technology of Wakanda, they had a positive representation of their land of origin, Africa.
But it takes more than enthusiasm and a positive view of the continent to understand Black Panther. It takes above all a minimum of general culture to grasp the symbols, the references and the fights.
Putting special effects aside, Black Panther is a powerful and committed film. It is first of all feminist, because women are omnipresent, not to embody an orgasmic passport, but to represent the weapon that watches over the stability of the throne and the Wakandan civilization. Shaved skull, the soldiers do not hesitate to cross their spears against the men’s on the battlefield. Inspired by the Amazons of Dahomey, this reference is a reminder of the important place of women in any society. Besides, it is a woman who saves the kingdom. It is on another that resides all the technological development of this city.
The scene that best illustrates the power of women is that where N’kwabi kneels before Okoye (the general of the Wakandan Army), his wife, while the latter points a spear at her face. Her allegiance brings to an end an almost-brothers war and restores peace in the kingdom.
The film with 35 million tweets also pays tribute to the fight against racial segregation and civil rights in the United States, including the Black power, which defended the respect for Afro identity through ideas and especially the African clothing wears. The Black power, symbolized by the raised fist, brought together many movements to the rank of which the Black Panther, formed in October 1966. Considered a danger, this movement was persecuted. Its members were arrested, some were killed. There is also a similarity between the throne of the King T’Challa and the chair of the leader of the Black Panther movement, Huey Newton.
Just as he faces two different visions of the struggle for the liberation of oppressed peoples. T’Challa more weighted, would return to the philosophy of Martin Luther King. Killmonger, who goes to war more, would be a reflection of the thought of Malcolm X. The two leaders defended, in fact, two different approaches to the same struggle.
Another strong element of Black Panther is this unifying side of African cultures. The costumes are inspired by African people from Lesotho, South Africa, Kenya, among others. The scarifications of Killmonger on their part, refer to those of the West African soldiers of another era. The architecture is a tribute to South African landscapes as well as to the mythical monuments of the rest of the continent, such as the Great Mosque of Timbuktu. Even if paradoxically, the filming took place in the United States. There was an important research work to restore the scenery.
These references like so many others-the daughters of Chibok-send subtle messages to the black community who feels proud (perhaps even unconsciously) to belong to such beauty. This film represents the ideal that the continent could build if it were inspired by its history and put its resources at the service of its people.
If you’ve got it all figured out, chances are you’re looking at Black Panther now with a different eye.
