Of Black Panther: A review of sorts

34 Comments

I finally watched Black Panther I get what all the noise was about

Yey

This isn’t exactly a review as such:

Wakanda could be Africa’s story had Africa not been colonised and allowed to flourish …agreed.…

However if Wakanda existed the way it’s depicted in the movie then it would have been an inward-oriented country; that would have probably let the rest of Africa be colonized. I find it hard to imagine an empire which would not adhere to the uBuntu philosophy (uBuntu is Nguni-Bantu word for Humanity) I am because We Are

ubuntu

If Wakanda where truly an African country (Chadwick Boseman, who plays Black Panther is said to have told The New York Times that Wakanda is a fictional version of “the Mutapa empire of 15th-century Zimbabwe.”) Wakanda would have dealt with world outside its borders with more humanity, humanity towards others.

mutapa empire

The Mutapa Empire which spanned a significant portion of southern Africa might not have had vibranium but they had gold and vast amounts of it too which they traded freely, far and wide if not a bit too free and far which is how mining claims became colonial instruments one treaty at a time……..

Founders of the Mutapa Empire are descendants of those who built the Great Zimbabwe in the 11th century

great zimbabwe20180528170332
Great Zimbabwe from where the name Zimbabwe are the largest and most puzzling architecture South of the Sahara competing only with the Pyramids of Egypt.

“Among the gold mines of the inland plains between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers there is a fortress built of stones of marvelous size, and there appears to be no mortar joining them…. …. This edifice is almostsurrounded by hills, upon which are others resembling it in the fashioning of stone and the absenceof mortar, and one of them is atower ”

1531 Vicente Pegado, a Portuguese army captain

The architecture is so mind boggling that it’s not surprising history would not allow us to have achieved this by ourselves and would rather write about the Portuguese, Phoenicians or biblical characters yet it is a birthright from our ancestors how far would we have gone had we been left to flourish?

Back to Wakanda

So vibranium, all I know about it, is that it’s what Captain America’s shield is made from and the Black Panther’s suit and claws and that it absorbs kinetic energy but how does this explain how Wakanda managed to get so technologically advanced to be many years ahead of the rest of the world unless if the heart shaped herb not only grants you superhuman strength, speed and instincts but makes you smarter………

I kind of sympathized with Killmonger and thought they deserved having him come back and shake the cobwebs out of the cocooned lifestyle they built around themselves and even rooted for him a little bit.

What I loved most is how the women of Wakanda where their own people first, strong, proud and stood up for themselves; from Princess Shuri who would not let tradition limit hair, to the regal Nakia

A-great-queen

and lets not forget their most elite fighting force the Dora Milaje an all woman ensemble led by the formidable General Okoye

When what’s his name says “would you kill me my love’ and Okoye replies “for Wakanda without a question”

black panther scene

But I did feel their “civil war” escalated on flimsy grounds and I think I might have disliked W’kabi more than the “villain” killmonger for taking so long to get to back his senses.

Can we also talk about the language of Wakanda though; what was that? I can’t be the only one made to cringe by them murdering the Xhosa language like that; what was with adding west/central African inflections to their speech and not just picking a west African language, maybe if the cast had been peppered with a more local talents then they might have spoken more naturally. I noticed a few faces from local TV soapies such as fondly known as Mamokhete from Rhythm city, Connie Chiume played the role of the Mining tribe elder

conie-chiume

Overally well what can I say the numbers speak for themselves it’s a record breaking blockbuster

Wakanda Forever

~B

What are your thoughts on The Black Panther?

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34 Comments

  1. When W’Kabi asked Okoye if she’d kill him and she replied “For Wakanda? Without question!” I screamed “YAAAAAAS!!!” The image of women in the movie was so refreshing. Great movie, I get the hype. The accents killed me—wish they’d trust actual Africans to play African roles one day instead of taking 3 classes in our languages and scattering it in the name of movie. Still, a good watch post hype-period.

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    1. At some point I forgot W’kabi and Okoye were a thing with them killer rhinos out on the loose 😂
      Maybe the only way we will get movies that tell Africa the way its narrative should be is if we make them ourselves not wait for Hollywood to tell it for us.
      This is Africa!!!!!
      ~B

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      Reply

    1. Haha I was laughing about it with friends like nope no country in Africa sounds like that….. ” The strenth of de blekk pentha will be streeped eweeyyyy….”
      😂 😂 😂 nope nope
      ~B

      Liked by 1 person

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      3. Ha! Fortunately or unfortunately 😂 I can’t add a Voice Note to comments but it would sound a lot less like an imaginary accent invented by kids 😂
        ~B

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Hahaha! Would you mind if I wrote something on Instagram about this? I guarantee people have no idea!! I surely didn’t. It’s an interesting fact. But if you’d rather I didn’t I totally understand.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. I enjoyed Black Panther, and it was an amazing take on what Africa can be. I also think Africans could make a better depiction of who we are and what Ubuntu is all about.

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    1. Candy Hahahaha 😂 you must catch up on your movies!!!! Overlooking the accents it’s still an OK flick a tad hyped up though but that’s Hollywood for you everything has to be larger than life in tinsel town.
      When you watch remember this post and laugh and get back to me
      ~B

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      Reply

      1. Okay then:
        1. It wasn’t worth the hype
        2. They could gotten a better villain(Killmonger’s reign was short-lived)
        3. Have the directors ever been to Africa? ; those accents were torture

        Liked by 1 person

      2. 1. Hollywood always blows up hype life’s bigger on the big screen
        2. Killmonger’s character development was rather unsuitable for a villain, the guy with the canon on his arm would have made a better villain crazy and evilly humorous
        3. I doubt it

        ~B

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      3. Yeah, those are just some of my grievances.

        I was expecting an experience akin to what I got with Infinity War, but sadly no…

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Without question 😂 you are allowed..
      I never knew the black panther existed character until that other movie when the father gets killed at some convention was it in Gotham city or something 😂 I am even afraid say I don’t know my Marvel from my DC
      ~B

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      2. I knew that!!! I still wish for a MCU DC crossover already the Dark Knight in Wakanda whoop whoop
        OK is the Black Panther in any way related to the Pink Panther 😂
        ~B

        Liked by 1 person

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