I made a post that was way too good for a locked thread about imhotepery. So here it goes:
In the history of the MCU, Wakanda didn't fuck up Africa's continent. Blame that on the colonizers. They did their best to
protect their people from the colonizers, and
succeeded. Of course that Wakanda being isolationist is problematic and that's addressed and resolved throughout the film, but the Oakland outreach has several layers that some might be missing:
- Wakanda is the 1st world country helping out the fucked up subdeveloped country, in this case, the United States;
- It's literal at same time that is symbolic: it brings the utopia of an Africa that was never colonized and an America that was build with the blood and tears of those that were actually colonized. It's the bridge between African and American in African-American, it's the reconnection. It's T'Challa owning up to the mistakes of his utopia city's past by symbolizing hope not just for Africa, but African-American people as well;
- It's personal to the film's director, Ryan Coogler: "My goal is to start a (film)business in this area, something that can employ people," he said. "It will be something the people can point to and kids can see it, saying 'I can do that,' instead of doing things that are glaring to the environment." Source: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2007/12/17/filmmaker-avoids-tragic-life-plotline/ (This inteview is 11 years old, btw)
This is film is about visibility. This is about restablishing connection with your roots. So of course that T'Challa would be connected with USA. This is an USA film made by an African-American director that grew up in Oakland. In so many ways, Coogler is both T'Challa and the kid at the end of the film. And if you can't understand why this matters, then well, I'm glad that others do and that Black Panther exists for them. Black Panther is one of the best superhero films of all time, if not the best, and even if it was a long time coming, this film was made when we needed it the most.
