It’s been a while since I’ve been on here but I’m working on my consistency. This post is little different and not really about fashion but there would be some fashion elements. Last week I went to watch Black Panther and honestly I had no expectations. I mainly went because of all the buzz and I had a free ticket. Even though the cast was mainly black, one of the reasons why I had no expectations was because very few movies do any justice to the cultures which stem from the African continent (See what I did there? I didn’t say African culture because it’s not a thing/doesn’t exist). Most of the time these movies just enhance stereotypes associated with the continent and the director/producers get their information about the continent from the internet.
So the movie starts and I see Sterling K Brown and I’m mesmerized because he is practically the bae of all baes (sidetracking……smh). First of all let’s talk about the women. Seeing a dark skin black guy on TV/media is pretty much a norm but how many times do you see a dark skinned black women with no weave, in a position of power and a tech genius. (Rarely!!!!) I am all for appreciating all black shades but usually only one shade of black is represented in the media. Black Panther did not just portray black dark skinned women in a positive light, but black dark skinned women with natural hair and natural hair styles. This is so empowering to the little black girl trying to find her place in a predominantly white society where we try so hard to fit in.
I will say that Danai Gurira should have her own marvel character. If you don’t know who she is, do your research. She played the army general, had a bald haircut and “Only spoke english when she wanted to”. This may seem minute, but it speaks so much to women empowerment and embracing our culture in any setting including our native languages. It also addresses gender roles as she the army general, and fought fiercely and better than the male warriors. When she took off her wig in the casino, that gave me so much life and was such an empowering natural hair moment, in addition to the fact that she had markings on her head which is common to some tribes in Africa. I was also living for Letitia Wright’s braids and the fact that she was a genius in the movie.
One of the scenes which really stuck with me was when Danai Gurira said she only spoke english when she wanted to. I remember being back home and I was very okay with the fact that I didn’t speak my dialect and only spoke English or French, I was actually proud of this and I thought I was better than those who spoke the dialect. This wasn’t really a big deal to me until I moved to the U.S and realized how valuable your identity is, including your language, not a language derived from colonization. In times of lost, remembering who I am, my roots and where I come from has always helped me find purpose and direction. I used to be very proud of speaking French in public but then shy to speak pidgin english. This is the type of inferiority complex that some Immigrants or people from the African continent have to deal with.
We are usually shy to speak our language in public and feel inferior because of who were are. We even try to shorten our names or Americanize our names to fit in society or make it easier for the masses to pronounce (Guilty of this as well). When Danai said she only spoke English when she wanted to, I felt like a weight was lifted off my chest and I know it’s probably the same for the young immigrant who feels like they have to give up their culture and who they are in order to fit in. How many times do you see a European who is shy to speak their language in public? I promise you they are not better than you, you just need to get past the societal brainwashes and develop cultural pride.
Most people in African countries are trying so hard to be westernized because they think it is better, but it is actually our doom. Chronic diseases which were very uncommon are starting to rise in African countries, perks of trying to be westernized. (Side tracked again) I remember making a promise to myself during the movie that my kids would spend as much time in the western world as they do back home (Black Panther got me planning for the future and thinking about kids lol)
One of the things which Black Panther addressed was Refugees. You really had to be aware to pick out all these elements. Nakia wanted the king to open Wakanda and use their technology to help so many other people but not everyone was in support, because new people come with their own troubles and he is suppose to protect the people of Wakanda first. (Sound familiar??) This is definitely a valid point, but people usually just want a better life for themselves and their families, and they are usually not a threat. When given the opportunity, they work twice as hard and add to the economy. The Refugee population today is one of the greatest the world has ever seen and it continues to rise. It is should be human nature to share and help out those in need. This quote by T’challa really stuck with me “More connects us than separates us and in times of crisis, we must build bridges instead of barriers”
Now let’s talk about the culture. I have never been so proud to hail form the motherland. The grinding of the leaves, the high priest, the outfits, the hairstyles, the ankara shields, the fights, usage of spears and the language were done so eloquently. Everything about the movie was so intentional, which I loved. I could relate to drinking some concoction usually ground or made from plants when I got sick back home. One of my favorites elements from the movie was that even though Wakanda was so technologically advanced, they still preserved all the elements of their culture from the clothing to the ritual combats and much more. I always say that I hate technology and we need a technology detox, because we usually lose ourselves in it and ignore how much it takes from human interaction and our cultures. Bridging this Gap the way it was done in Wakanda is still a struggle.
I was low key taking pictures of the outfits during the movie, and when I got home I was so inspired and proud of my culture that I designed my graduation outfits.
Black Panther also addressed the divide which exist between Africans and African Americans. It also addressed how lost some African Americans may be not fully knowing their roots or trying to find out who they are in society where all the black history that is ever taught is black history post slavery, but black history is much more than that. There is still the US vs Them mentality but we need to realize that when Africa rises and is portrayed in a positive light, so would black people across the globe. It also addresses the rage and frustrations that oppressed people feel which makes them want to “overtake the oppressors and kill their children”, but how does that make us different from the oppressors. By doing this, we tend to be like the people we are fighting against.
Some people say that Wakanda is what Africa would have been if it wasn’t colonized, who knows!!. Shout out to the Director for actually traveling to African countries, to do research and portray the cultures so eloquently. This is one of the few movies (if not the only movie) which portrays the continent in a positive light. I encourage you to challenge those class presentations that only talk about the state of poverty, illiteracy and disease in African countries but never talk about those same elements in western countries or racism. This is very similar to branding.
Now, here are my favorite quotes and scenes from the movie:
“Don’t scare me like that colonizer”
” Hi Auntie” (Most West Africans call almost every older woman auntie, even when they are not related)
“Great, Another white boy for us to fix”
“Guns, so primitive”
“When Okoye took off her wig”
“When the other clan(tribe) shut Everett up with just sounds”
I am actually going to watch Black Panther for the third time because I can’t get enough and it gave me so much cultural pride and echoed the fact that it is okay to be who I am, accent and all.
Wakanda Forever!!
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Alieh Kimbeng 