Years of slavery and continued racism have undermined Black people’s confidence. As a black woman raised in the Caribbean where racism towards Black people is almost inherent, I know something about it. Indeed, your upbringing can play a major role in how you interact with the world, in your confidence to face others, to stand up for yourself.
In less than two days, the Disney/ Marvel movie Black Panther is set to hit the big screen and the anticipation has already reached the roof! Just picture a Marvel Superhero movie with a mainly black cast. Better yet with a black African Superhero and king, surrounding by an army of skilled back female (the Dora Milaje), on a mission to secure his kingdom (Wakanda) and save the world.
This movie has the potential of reaching into the Black community and strikes the positive cord (at least of those who have the chance to watch movies like that) reminding them that, despite racism and every day injustice towards them, they too have within them the power to reach for the stars to change the world, to paraphrase Harriet Tubman.
Now, let’s pause, right. We are talking about a movie, a Disney/Marvel superhero movie. However, aside from being entertaining Black Panther already promises to be more than just a movie. Black Panther has already set sail to become a legend, to mark an era and hopefully to be a token of change and foster more movies like this.
A Political, but Entertaining Hollywood Blockbuster
The purpose of any superhero movie is to entertain first and foremost. And Black Panther promises to do that and more, in a diverse and revolutionary way. The anticipation is high and tickets’ presale has already starting to break records. With a predominantly black cast, black lead role and antagonist, directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther has set a precedent. No wonder the idea of doing such a movie has strained almost three decades since 1992 until it’s finally ready for the big screen.
Representation matters and this is why Black Panther is so meaningful for black children.
When I was a kid I was desperately looking for role models that actually look like me, that fit the little black girl with big dream that I was. Wherever I looked, in media, books, or religions the actors, superheroes, prophets were all either white and/or from foreign cultures.
I remember how much I was full of dreams as a kid to finally drop most of them one by one as I was growing up. Reality eventually catches up with me. So dreams, little black girl dreams of mine started on TV and fairy tale books. I guess just like many other little girls around the world who grew up watching Disney movies or reading fairy tales books, I dreamed of being a princess. A beautiful princess with a daddy king and a mommy Queen and later on, as I was growing up, a queen. Unfortunately, there was no black princesses nor black queens in those fairy tales.
Tiana, the first black female character in Disney Princess appeared in 2009, a pale copy of the original story, the Frog Prince in which the princess was at least royalty. Tiana on the contrary needed more than kissing a frog to realize her dream. Actually, Tiana, a black girl from poor upbringing who grew up in the United States during the segregation era became a waitress with chattered dreams after losing her father. Her dad had thought her the value of hard work and she fought to fulfill the dream of opening her own restaurant someday, a dream she had shared with her father. However, without the help of her “white-savior” friend (Charlotte) and far-away Prince Naveen, Tiana would have never been able to realize her dream and finally be elevated to a high social rank.
Does hard work not enough in the American Dream country? The question is why going away from the original story to only come up with a needy black girl whose everyday fights didn’t really amount much. Was Disney saying that black people could not be royalty? Why not imagine an African princess, for example like Yennenga the Svelte of today-known Burkina Faso, a skilled warrior who went miles to find true love, inspired many and become a legendary queen?
Kids everywhere need more than mere everyday struggle as fairy tales, but stories that can develop their imagination and allow them to reach for the sky and beyond. Black girls need stories with powerful black princesses, queens, warriors and female black superheroes they can identify to.
Luckily, Black Panther is looming in the horizon just like a light at the end of a tunnel. Yet another Disney movie, but with the touch of Marvel genius, Black Panther is a refreshing note in the ocean of dominated white hero movies. And just in time for the celebration of Black History Month this February.
Still looking for reasons to go watch this movie
Black Panther promised to be entertaining, but revolutionary. According to CNN, “Black Panther is for film what Barack Obama was for the presidency. “
Set in Africa, in the imaginary city of Wakanda, world’s most technologically advanced nation, prince T’Challa returns home after his father’s death to be crowed as the new king. However, coming back home isn’t without its share of troubles. Wakanda is the golden nation or to be more accurate the Vibranium nation, the ‘Eldorado’ that European vile conquerors have wrongly been searching for in Latin America. Therefore, Wakanda’s people have gone miles to protect and conceal their nation’s treasure mainly most sought metal Vibranium from the rest of world.
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A preponderant role for women, for black females in particular
Black Panther has set the course for a change, for a new direction in superhero movies and to restore an erroneous image of black people in the silver screen. The idea of seeing every African nation as “third world countries” to paraphrase C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross in the movie or black people as second class citizens.
Faced to old domestic enemies and a foreign thirsty smuggler determined to steal Wakanda’s vibranium to take over the world, T’Challa suits up as Blank Panther in an epic hollywood blockbuster that promises to keep the audience spellbound. Uprising, treachery, and chaos has forced our hero to call upon Wakanda’s special forces, the Dora Milaje (the “Adored Ones”).
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The Dora Milaje inspired by real life African Warriors
When Wakanda’s powerful weapon is at risk of falling into the wrong hands and the fate of the whole world in balance, the Dora Milaje women do what they do best, protect their beloved kingdom. The ferocious female warriors will go to the end of the world to restore balance.
This is the greatest part of the upcoming movie. Wakanda’s protectors are all women, members of the Dora Milaje, the kingdom’s special forces. Dora Milaje is inspired from real African warriors, the Amazon of Dahomey also called Mino Warriors. These women from today’s Benin were ferocious warriors whose movement has spanned over several centuries since 1692, making their kingdom into one of the greatest.
These women were strategists, ferocious and skilled enough to win many victories against the French army. It is said that no man wanted to be in the wrong turns with these ladies. Bringing these characters in the Black Panther movie – under the Dora Milaje label – is one of the best things for black girl confidence. Finally, black girls can relate to these women, can see their future selves as females in command and capable of protecting themselves. Here is one big chance to witness powerful female excellence on the silver screen. Girls and women everywhere can look up to these women in the fight for women’s rights, and understand that they can shape their own destiny.
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Celebration of female geniuses: Meet the Brilliant Princess Shuri
Princess Shuri of Wakanda – Marvel/Disney Black Panther
Not only the kingdom relies on the Dora Milaje forces for its protection, but the king relies completely on his sister, Princess Shuri to help win this war. Shuri is an inventor, a strategist and the leader of the Wakandan design group. With her master in Engineering and savvy understanding of advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, Shuri is one of the smartest people in the world. Her genius and sharp mind, her know-how in AI and design as well as her sense of humor makes her a vital partner and a good friend.
Indeed, movies like Black Panther that bring black excellence to the big screen will resonate within black communities wherever these movies are displayed. Moreover, by portraying an image of an advanced African country and skilled African women and men that you don’t get to see very often in the Media, Black Panther is reaching into the very core of black excellence.
You have to be a black person to understand the black experience, to understand what it is to be considered as lower citizen, to not be deserving of second chance, to be more than everyone else the object of racism and injustice, to feel like your skin color is a handicap.
Of course, one movie cannot change all this, one superhero movie cannot change the world. However, this is a good start. It’s an attempt at reconciling Black people with the rest of the world and with themselves, a boost to black confidence. We need more of such movies that portray decent images of other races and of dark skin people in particular.
It’s a good start until there could be movies about black female superheroes just like Wonder Woman. Let’s hope that Black Panther will inspire more movies that focus on true excellence, on diversity and not only on one side of the story.
Do not miss the chance to enjoy a movie that promises to be full of actions, full of special effects and awesome superhero versus villains fights. A movie that will entertain, make fans proud and set a precedent for black superhero movies while opening a window on the brilliance, skills, and importance of black female superheroes in the comics universe and in the new world we live in.
