Africa must cash in on its Black Panthers
African celebrities on the global stage have a chance to make home-grown talent part of the value chain
Earning $1bn in turnover worldwide, Black Panther, the Hollywood blockbuster movie produced by Marvel Studios, has found resonance among many black audiences. For many blacks this was the first time they saw positive reflections of themselves on the big screen in a meaningful way. At some local cinemas, entire families dressed up for the occasion and cheered and ululated as the credits rolled up the screen. The release of Black Panther proved that there was a market that had been underserviced for years. The constant depiction of black people in films and television as the victims or perpetrators of strife was a burden black audiences had to accept, as they did not have many alternatives. So the depiction of the fictional, uncolonised country of Wakanda had huge appeal for black people looking for alternative narratives. Black Panther not only created a black mythology, it opened the door to a commercialised black narrative of empowerment. The film has been hailed in some quarters a...
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