After almost two weeks of being in theatres, Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” has exceeded all expectations and has become the third fastest grossed film reaching $400 million dollars in just ten days. With a cast majority-black and so much background history, the film debuts as one of the first socially conscious superhero movies we have seen up to this date.
The brilliance of vibranium and Wakanda colliding with the suffering of those dispersed globally due to the African Diaspora brings awareness to many of the conflicts that arose in Africa due to the arrival of imperialism.
During the 19th and 20th century, European countries were in a craze to colonize the continent of Africa for one goal in mind: to gain access to Africa’s natural resources. Africa is home to the world’s richest metals and gems, including gold, diamonds, iron, copper, silver, and uranium. The impact of imperialism in Africa left many African nations poor and corrupt due to the exploitation of their resources and the manipulation imposed by the colonies.
In the film, the nation of Wakanda homes the strongest metal known to man called vibranium. Vibranium is such a strong element, it backbones the entirety of the nation in every way. The metal is responsible for its weapons, transportation, medicine, and virtually everything pertaining to the greater good of the Wakandan people. While many outsiders are curious about the metal, the people of Wakanda are unwilling to share their resources with the world in fear it will be abused by “colonizers”.
The film critiques the exploitation of African natural resources and eludes to a reality where African resources are not ceased by Europeans. In this, Coogler is referring to technological brilliance of ancient African people and what could have been if African countries had full control over the resources they possessed.
On another note, the film tackles a distinction not often seen in cinema. The conflict between King T’Challa and his opponent, Killmonger goes beyond the typical protagonist and antagonist narrative: it represents the division of Africans and those who are products of the African diaspora. The difference in ideologies, particularly pertaining to whether or not to reveal Vibranium to the world, reflects the two different worldviews of the two warriors.
On one hand, King T’Challa is trying to maintain security for his country and prevent outsiders from taking over. While on the other, Killmonger, who is the Oakland-born cousin of T’Challa, wants to empower black people suffering all around the world at the hands of oppression.
To sum things up, the film “Black Panther” is a pioneer for more socially aware ethnically-diverse family movies to come. The movie was a call for more positive representation of minorities in films. This is one way to end untrue stigmas that come about due to the lack of knowledge about a particular group of people.
After watching the movie, I came to a lot of realizations about myself and the world that I had never formulated on my own. For anyone, I highly suggest taking a trip to your nearest cinema and indulging in the Wakandan Experience. Wakanda Forever.
