‘Black Panther’ examines burden, benevolence
Having now grossed more than $400 million domestically, “Black Panther” is crushing cinematic history as Black History Month ends. We’ve never had a superhero film like this, one that is so unapologetically black. Set in Oakland, California, and the fictional African nation of Wakanda, “Black Panther” tackles themes of bitterness from broken family ties in addition to racial identity and politics for both AfricanAmericans and Africans.
The movie’s ancestral theme is one that resonates deeply with black folk due to the longing of many to know more about their African heritage. In Wakanda, we see a nation that has been able to thrive and not be ravaged by European colonization. It is a technologically rich and innovative land, which places the storyline of “Black Panther” in the genre of Afrofuturism, an aesthetic term created by scholar Mark Dery to describe sciencefiction plots based on African and African-American culture. This makes Wakanda very much unlike another beloved fictional African country, Zamunda, from the 1988 film “Coming to America.”
As a comedy, “Coming to America” is of course in a completely different genre. Zamunda did portray African cultural pride in music and dance; however, it had more of a happily- ever- after feel. Wakanda is isolated from the world and protecting its precious natural resource of vibranium, the metal that is the source of its wealth and power. If they opened their borders, Wakandans would have the ability to influence the globe in healing properties, science, transportation, architecture and military advancement.
And speaking of military advancement, Wakanda is defended by an all- female force called the Dora Milaje, who can slay with the fierceness of a lioness and the nimbleness of a leopard. When taking in the awe of the Wakandan royalty led by King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who is the Black Panther, his queen mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and kid sister Shuri ( Letitia Wright), who is the brainchild behind Wakanda’s tech savviness, it brings to mind the majesty of past African kingdoms such as the Mali empire, whose history is part of present- day Senegal and Guinea.
As T’Challa takes the throne as a young king, he faces a twofold conflict. He must figure out the best way to protect his people once vibranium falls into the hands of villains who are driven by a destructive lust for power. It’s just that one of those villains is a close kinsman, his first cousin Erik Killmonger ( Michael B. Jordan). Killmonger is the type of antagonist that evokes sympathy because his rage is justified. He is abandoned after his father N’Jobu (Sterling K. Brown) is killed by T’Challa’s father, King T’Chaka (Atandwa Kani).
N’Jobu, who is stationed in Oakland, California in 1992, sees the harsh suffering resulting from racial and economic inequality, so he wants to use Wakanda’s resources to aid those who are subjugated, but betrays his country in the process. Here, director Ryan Coogler provides a masterful, dramatic backdrop for us to use our creative license in imagining Killmonger’s upbringing without N’Jobu. From the looks of the film Killmonger could be in North Oakland, where the actual Black Panther Party was founded, and where many black boys have fallen victim to drugs and gang violence.
“Everybody dies,” Killmonger says as a child, “It’s just life around here.” Killmonger isn’t sucked in by Oakland’s street vices as he goes to MIT and has a military career, but his father’s spirit remains in him while he kills his “own brothers and sisters” on the African continent. In many ways, Killmonger represents the anger felt by urban black youths, not just at the institution of systemic oppression, but also resentment toward those who can help but do nothing. “Where was Wakanda?” Killmonger irately asks his relatives once he reaches his father’s homeland, pricking their consciences about the destitution of people of color around the world. It is a transgression that Killmonger refuses to forgive, which results in tragedy for him.
Overall, “Black Panther” sends a powerful message that to whom much is given, much is required. When T’Challa finally decides to open up Wakanda’s wealth of technological knowledge, he not only proposes to help those who look like him, but also those who do not. In the end, he acquires the courage to be his brother’s keeper as well as his oppressor’s savior.