Paige lind
AFAM 251
Professor Tucker-Worgs
March 19, 2019
Black Panther
Black Panther is a movie that goes in depth at a look at African culture in not only the united states but in a fictional country named Wakanda. Wakanda is a country in Africa though that is not touched by colonialism, and accepts no aid from any outside country. Black panther is not only a hero story, but a story of family, honor for their home, civil rights, African diaspora, social justice and the preservation of African culture in a world that is losing that sense of tradition. Essentially Wakanda is hidden from the outside world under a vibranium force field that has advanced technology that no one other than them knows about. This technology and advancement is also mixed in with African tradition. Wakanda has a lot of power that they know can do wonders, the question is will they use this power to not only sustain themselves but also help others that are oppressed around the world, especially people of color?
The movie starts out as a recap that shows the five tribes uniting in Wakanda and explaining why they have hidden their secret identity from the world, which is so they can strive and not be affected by outsiders. They also revealed to us this purple glowing flower that gives the Black Panther unlimited strength, and the identity of the Black Panther.
It then flashes back to 1992 in Oakland, CA. King T’Chaka of Wakanda comes to talk to N'Jobu (which is his baby brother). He works as an active spy in the US. N’Jobu’s motive is to bring Wakandan weapons to ‘their people’ in the US, this is because since he has been living in Oakland he can see that they are the ones that are being oppressed. He is accompanied by a friend who also ends up being a Wakandan spy. At the end of the scene T’Chaka does not want him to continue with his plans for the sake of Wakanda and ends up killing him.
It then cuts back to present day where T’Chaka’s son T’Challa prepares to bestowed as king. For this to happen he has to get approval from each tribe. If one tribe does not approve, they have one warrior who must fight T’Challa. During this battle one will win while the other gives up or dies during combat. During all this there is African Cultured dances going on and also traditional African wear. We are then introduced to a group of powerful women. Nakia, T’Challa’s ex and lover, who works as a spy is back from where she was helping people who are oppressed, Okoye who is the leader of the Dora Milaje, who are a team of woman who fight for Wakanda, Shuri who is T’Challa’s tech-savvy sister, and Queen Ramona who is his mother and Queen of Wakanda.
The movie then goes into King T’Challa’s first mission, he decides to go after Ulysses Klaue in the US, who T’Challa’s his father has failed to capture in the last 30 years who also killed his father. W’Kabi (T’Challa’s good friend) made T’Challa promise to either take Klaue to stand trial or kill him as revenge for his parent’s’ death. T...
