THE REEL AFRICA

South African actors are killing it on the silver screen and making global audiences reassess their ideas about the continent. The latest films are showing the world that Africa isn’t a place of poverty to be pitied, but an exciting continent with rich cultures and spectacular stories of its own.

A SUPERHERO MOVIE

WITH A DIFFERENCE Hammering home the Afro-optimism is the box-office busting Black Panther, which also features South Africa’s fatherand-son acting duo, John and Atandwa Kani, who speak to each other in Xhosa during their scenes. This Marvel superhero movie is breaking new ground by finally giving black actors the central roles, instead of playing mere sidekicks to the hero or being the first to fall, in typical Hollywood tradition.

“This time, the sun is shining on Africa,” says John Kani. “This movie came at the right time. We’re struggling to find exemplary leaders that are role models, so when you see the Black Panther as a young boy and he takes off that mask you think, ‘Oh my God, he looks like me. He is African and I am African. Now we can look up to someone who is African.’ ”

The movie is set in Wakanda, a hidden nation that’s technically superior to the rest of the world. When the country comes under threat, some believe it should only protect its own people, while others advocate a pan-African attitude of aiding the less fortunate.

John Kani plays the old king, T’Chaka. “I reunite with my son after not seeing him for some time. The director and I were challenged with coming up with the ideal thing to say to my film son, played by my real son, Atandwa,” he said. “It had to be in the native language of Wakanda. I chose to say something in Xhosa which everyone on set loved. ‘We need that,’ the director said.”

The film also features strong female roles with South African’s Connie Chiume playing a tribal elder. There’s also the Dora Milaje, a fierce all-female army, which was inspired by 19th century Dahomey Amazons in a kingdom that’s now part of Benin.