The Black Panther film franchise is bad at representation and that has ruined it's potential
For context, I'm a Black African man living in Botswana, born and raised so I don't want to be accused of being someone who doesn't have connections to the cultures being displayed on screen.
As well as a spoiler disclaimer for for Black Panther 1, 2 and Eye's of Wakanda.
With that being said, I really HATE how Hollywood treat's displaying our culture, I was tolerant until I saw Black Panther. Everyone saw it as such a liberating, revolutionary step in the right direction in terms of representation. IT WAS TIRING TO SEE AS AN AFRICAN. It was a lazy attempt at putting together a fictional African country which is canonically located in East Africa.
They use SOTHO TSWANA BLANKETS as shields, displayed the culture of MY PEOPLE, the culture of MY NEIGHBOURS (our fellow Ndebele of which I am half on my dad's side), and various southern african culture's one to one, without considering where these culture's and groups reside.
They did didn't even bother to give some tribes actual names, (mining tribe, border tribe). Made them speak Xhosa, A SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGE even though wakanda is located in the East.
I love Chadwick Boseman Lord rest his tender soul, but they cast a non African as the black panther (which isn't an issue but they keep having these actors use the same generic African hollywood accent) and the two African's they cast, the talented John Kani (South Africa) and the even more talented Lupita Nyongo (her family is Kenyan) weren't even that important, sure John plays Tchalla's father so he's pretty important, ill concede that point but I feel Lupita's character as Tchalla's love interest just has fallen flat.
The animated show eye's of Wakanda, DIDN'T EVEN CENTRE THAT MUCH ON AFRICAN COUNTRIES, i know it's only 4 episodes but we got one episode set in Greece, another set inside a wakandan tower, the other was some time travel bullshit and only hinted at the Italo ethiopian war.
Tchalla at the end of the first black panther gave vibranium to the FUCKING UNITED NATIONS as well. An organization that admittedly has not only screwed over Africa or at least turned a blind eye to it but has failed the ENTIRE GLOBAL SOUTH.
They continued to do those GODAWFUL generic hollywood African accents, the only authentic one is John Kani because he is SOUTH AFRICAN, i have friends with that same accent.
The worst part is Ryan Coogler can do better, I've seen sinner's, the scene where Sammy is singing and the future and past are displayed is more of a tribute to us Africans and even better a scene that connects the continent and diaspora in a way that's so surreal. Ryan Coogler CAN DO BETTER and that hurts so much.
If you're African American and you enjoyed the film and felt seen, all power to you. I truly am glad that you have felt seen but genuinely, Black Panther is using our aesthetics, our traditions and our root's to appease to an audience that isn't us. They made a movie and painted it African but damn well it was intended at least for us at all.
I just wish it could have done better. Am I just being over the top?
