Will Wakanda Actually Liberate the Black Diaspora?

Image: Marvel Studios

… that’s certainly the hopeful message we’re left with at the end of the epochal film Black Panther. But I think it’s worth some deeper thought.

I finally watched, and thankfully loved, Black Panther this week. I was willfully swept up in all the magic and hype of the film. Was it perfect? No. Did it need to be perfect for me to enjoy it? No. As Trevor Noah put it, it was a great film — period — it was just extra special for much of the Black audience.

There is much to unpack in the film, and frankly, many people far more eloquent and informed than I are doing just that. But what I couldn’t resist, was the opportunity to think out loud about the possibilities for Black liberation both imagined and missed through the film.

As a person of Ethiopian descent, born and raised in North America, I was touched and inspired by the way that the film connected the histories and struggles of Black people both on the Continent and throughout the world. Equally important is the way that we can see the complexities and cleavages within these communities, which is most poignantly explored through the storyline of Erik Kilmonger (everyone’s favourite anti-villain).

Image: Marvel Studios

Through Erik, the film explores how colonization, slavery, migration, and geopolitical forces differentiate, and often alienate, global Black populations from each other. This was an important balance to the pan-Africanist themes, because a Pollyanna-esque ‘we’re all the same people’ would have been far less interesting and intellectually useful in my opinion.

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Drank The KONY Kool-Aid & Feeling Sick? This One’s For You.

If I get an ulcer, I’m sending the bill to Jason Russell. Maybe he can use some of the proceeds from the sale of those pretty shiny bracelets. Much has been critiqued about the Stop Kony movement, and even more is on its way. Most importantly, Ugandan voices have finally penetrated into the mainstream, and quite frankly, they’re doing a better job of deconstructing the issue than I could ever do.

In case the napkin doodle isn’t clear enough, I believe that the Stop Kony video is manipulative and irresponsible – at best (catch me off the record and I’ll tell you how I really feel). But I’m not as willing to write off the millions of youth who lent their support to the campaign. One of my many concerns with the video is how it patronizes young people, suggesting that they can’t possibly understand the complexity of the issue beyond a three syllable catch phrase. Unfortunately, many critics have perpetuated this image by characterizing campaign supporters as HappyMeal Hollywood zombies.