Kani proud of Black Panther
Oscar wins are a dream come true
Black Panther actor John Kani is still over the moon after the film scored three gongs at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles yesterday.
Black Panther won the best original music score in a feature category, best production design and best costume design.
The veteran actor, who played the role of T’Chaka, said he was excited because the film broke the record of being an all-black cast which told a black African story. “The story has black villains, black hero and uses indigenous language like Xhosa. After this, one tends to feel that he has made a little bit of a contribution towards the success of the film,” Kani said.
“I know people always say nomination is good enough but I knew that I wished we could win one of those awards.” Kani said after the film receiving its third award, he was screaming and jumping up and down.
“I kept screaming the names of those who were receiving awards as if they can hear me. I was saying ‘Wakanda Forever, Go Wakanda’.”
He defined Black Panther’s wins as a historical achievement.
“In my memory, a movie about a hero comic book had never been considered for any award ceremony. This is the first time it has been considered, for quality and design. “We are really proud and I am happy for the director and those wonderful actors. I was absolutely excited for my son [Atandwa, who also had a role in the film] who I even texted since he is in New York,” he said. The film has stars such as Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whitaker.