Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were global hits that played out in an imaginary African kingdom and feature a universe of black creative talent. What’s not to love about the franchise? Quite a lot, reckons cultural and literary studies scholar Jeanne-Marie Viljoen. We asked her to explain.
What are Black Panther’s limitations when it comes to diversity?
- Even though the Black Panther films didn’t represent Africans on their own complex terms, they’re still a major cultural phenomenon.
- They do so through the use of Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera.
- In the first film, the black superhero, T'Challa, is crowned king of Wakanda, a mythical African kingdom with advanced technological prowess.
- Drama ensues when he is challenged by Killmonger, who plans to use the kingdom’s power to begin a global revolution.
What can Hollywood learn from how the films have been received in Africa?
- Real empowerment only comes about with more “direct engagement with African political and social issues” and less emphasis on profit.
- Yet, despite these inaccurate and inauthentic displays of Africa, in Nigeria, Wakanda Forever performed better than it did in the Hollywood domestic market, relatively speaking.
- It became the biggest grossing film ever at the Nigerian box office, the first film to earn one billion naira.
- This is because Nollywood audiences have a more nuanced reading of spectacle and how politics and entertainment come together than Hollywood audiences do.
Why should Hollywood look to Africa for a better future?
- Hollywood should look to Africa in order to expand and decolonise what Hollywood envisions cinema can do in relation to building knowledge about diversity and film-making.
- In focusing mainly on a Hollywood audience and largely ignoring African audiences, Hollywood not only makes its audience believe that the limited headway that this film makes with inclusion and diversity is enough.
Jeanne-Marie Viljoen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
