I AM struck by the reception that the ‘Black Panther’, a Marvel Comics release, has received. If I were the CEO of a movie-production company and someone had walked through my door to request this undertaking, I would have certainly scoffed at the idea.

My logic would have been that this name is associated with the most radical section of American politics: this is the name of the party of Huey P Newton, who founded the Black Panther Party (BBP) or Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in 1966 — a movement demonised in the American mainstream media as a violent terrorist organisation.

This, for me, would have been a marketing gamble in a nation of 300 million people, with only 12% being African-Americans and just a small handful of that group being in support of the ideological underpinnings of this movement. On January 29, 2018, ‘Black Panther’ was officially released and the rest — 700 million USD in record sales – is now history. What a poor decision-making CEO I would have been.

The main plot of this motion picture involves Prince T’Challa played by Chadwick Boseman, who returns home to an imaginary African country, Wakanda, to take his rightful place as King. He is crowned King after surviving one ritual battle and gains control of Wakanda, which possesses Vibranium, a powerful fictional natural resource that makes Wakanda unparalleled technologically and militarily.

His leadership is challenged by the movie’s antagonist and he is forced to release the super-hero powers of the Black Panther to save his nation. Viewers, in their eagerness, would just see the technological and cinematic razzle and dazzle, but this movie teems with political and historical significance that ought to excite any observer of politics and history.

I witnessed shades of the Nubian civilisation, the glory of the Asante Empire and the exploits of Shaka Zulu. This movie was echoing calls for Black Nationalism that have been made for decades by the likes of Huey P Newton, Malcolm X and Louis Farrakhan. I fear that pop culture might make the mistake of thinking that aspects of the storytelling in the Black Panther are completely fictional, but that is hardly the case.

Wakanda is indeed a fictional country, but the ideas that undergird the concept of Wakanda are very real.
The glory and the majesty of African empire, pomp, statesmanship and authority displayed in the ‘Black Panther’ by the lead actor, Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) as the leader of Wakanda, can be likened to a plethora of African tribes. I will speak of the powerful African kingdom of Kush which, for me, is knowingly or unknowingly portrayed in this movie.

The kingdom of Kush was the most powerful part of the Nubia Empire which existed in 2500 BC. We cannot fathom the mind of Ryan Googler who directed this movie or preview the thoughts of the producers, Kevin Fiege and David J Grant, but it is reasonable to conclude that they were possibly thinking of the Kush Empire.

The council of elders advising the king, the channelling of the spirit of the ancestors and the sheer illustriousness of the African outfits certainly confirm my submission: this movie is more than just facetious storytelling. The sheer stateliness of outfits worn by T’Challa’s mother, ‘Romonda’ played by Angela Bassett and the presence of a female warrior force, the Dola Milaje led by the fierce, fearless, hairless and indomitable ‘Okoye’, portrayed by Danai Gurira, are real and existed in a different historical time.

During the 19th century, in the Kingdom of Dahomey, King Houegbadja created a vicious female army for his protection; it also fair to deduce that the creators were inspired by this historical fact. I also suspect that the creators of this movie were also thinking of Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa, Nanny of Nanny town, Queen Nzinga Mabande or Priestess Muhumusa.

The idea of strong female warriors protecting the people or a nation is not new. Ritual fighting to cement or protect your position as a ruler over your empire as seen in this movie, appeared quite Zulu-esque and it is more than reasonable to surmise that parts of the Black Panther were influenced by Zulu tribal practices.

The subtle and overt calls to Afro-centric political action that have been made for decades are embedded in the concept of Wakanda. The story of Wakanda is certainly Garvey-esque. Malcolm X advocated for a Wakanda, which is a metaphor for organisation of the black community with a strong sense of self-defence at its core. The antagonist in this movie, Michael B Jordan (Erik Killmonger), clearly mimics Huey P Newton, albeit in a negative way for marketing purposes, I suspect.

I also observed that the creators shunned the classic fist pump associated with the Black Panther party and replaced it with a more peaceful symbol of greeting, fists to chest and not air. Through it all, a brilliant film with much historical and political significance, it is more than simplistic cinematic storytelling.