BLACK PANTHER MOVIE
ADEKEYE ADEBAJO: Superheroes help Hollywood put Africa in the spotlight
Black Panther film could have built more on Africa’s own traditions, as Japan and China have successfully done in the real world
The Afro-futuristic marvel blockbuster Black Panther has generated mega-hype both in Africa and its US diaspora. Hollywood has produced a revolutionary action adventure with an almost all-black cast of strong characters — particularly women — who have historically been invisible in Tinsel Town. The film also has a black director, co-screenwriter and costume designer, as well as a hip-hop soundtrack. Black Panther is set in a mythical African land of Wakanda: the most technologically advanced country in the world, based on its vibranium wealth. The movie is visually spectacular, raking in $1.3bn in sales. But despite the importance of Black Panther as a thrilling spectacle, one wonders if the euphoric reaction to the film represents black therapy for a people that have suffered more humiliation — through four centuries of slavery and colonialism — than any other race in history. Black Panther makes a great effort to represent an authentic Africa. The film is set in an Afropolis echoi...
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