So Since Last year the media kept talking about the two of Marvel's biggest films meant to be released this year.
Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.

With Black Panther already released and with the hype surrounding it and the time of its released, I took my time, (I'm among the folks who'd rather download Movies and enjoy them with my earpiece in a quiet place).

Before I downloaded it, I read some comments, as expected critics on social platforms, saying it's an overrated movie and nothing special about it. I read stuffs like it has a typical Nollywood storyline, King dies, son gets ready to take over and suddenly disant family member pops up from nowhere claiming right over the throne and all sorts of stuffs.
Even Daddy Freeze and DJ Exclusive I think, also made statements that it's an overrated movie.
I say Freeze please stick to your online Church and battles with tithes.

Now this post is a bit long but it's worth your time
If you haven't seen the movie, you should.


It's the first and original superhero movie meant and produced for blacks and our cultures.



There are so many ways that Black Panther reaches out to black people, especially black people in America. I can (and probably will) continue to think and write about them in depth, but for now I want to zero in on just one.
Without a doubt, the most polarizing figure in this film is Erik Killmonger. Angry, loud, aggressive, and straight-to-the-point, Killmonger is a character that you cannot ignore. And in case you completely missed the point of this film... you’re not supposed to.


An African Tragedy:



Yes, Killmonger is angry. And most audiences, even the non-black ones, seem to think they know why he is angry.

“Because he’s an orphan!”

False. Batman is angry because he’s an orphan. Erik Killmonger is angry for A LOT of reasons.

As a young boy, Killmonger experiences the murder of his father, robbing him of a very key relationship in his life. But in that one moment, he loses infinitely more than just his father. With the loss of his father, Killmonger loses his only tie to Wakanda.

What does this mean and why is it important?
It means that young Erik Killmonger, whose birth name is N’Jakada, has begun the slow process of losing his identity. He has experienced the physical loss of his father, of course, but now he will go on to slowly lose touch with his Wakandan culture. Over time, he will lose his mastery of the Wakandan language. He will lose his memory of Wakandan history. Eventually, just like his father, it will all be gone.


And I know what you’re thinking:
“But he goes back to Wakanda!”

Yes, he does. But by then, it’s too late. Time and his environment have shaped Erik Killmonger into someone that his people do not recognize. They do not see a prodigal son returning home, but rather a lost foreigner.


In one of the most painful scenes to watch, Killmonger’s father, N’Jobu predicts that this is exactly how his son would be received should he ever return to Wakanda.

This part of Killmonger’s story is so important -- and so tragic -- because it masterfully reflects the African diaspora. There are generations of African descendants throughout the world who have experienced this type of loss. The loss of their African names. The loss of their African culture. The loss of their African language. The loss of their African history. And yes, the loss of their African bodies.




Black Panther,
as a work of art, does such a fantastic job of breaking down this ideology -- this Great American Lie. And it does so by dissolving the hero-villain binary that is so common in superhero movies.

Everyone is so eager to praise T’Challa as the hero, as the righteous one, because we’ve been trained to do so in every other superhero movie. But no other superhero movie has ever been for the black community the way that Black Panther is.

This film speaks right to the heart of black -on-black crime. It intricately tells a very realistic story of how this Great American Lie has affected our communities, yet seeks to reveal our Great African Truth, which is that our greatest strength is each other....

We know that T’Challa is the hero, but he would never have had his heart opened up to the needs of his African brothers and sisters if it were not for Killmonger, as flawed and broken as he was.

In this sense,
Killmonger is both the lost foreigner and the prodigal son. He represents those who are lost and those who remember exactly who they are. He is, in fact, the Black Panther.


I believe that there is a reason why the climactic final fight scene between T’Challa and Killmonger has them both in the Black Panther suit. The makers of this film were trying to communicate their greatest truth in this scene, which is that the Black Panther is both T’Challa and Killmonger.

The Black Panther is the collective spirit of both of these African brothers, who represent the range of the Pan-African experience.
We, as Africa, are the Black Panther[/b)
[b]We are T’Challa.

We are Killmonger.


Culled from

https://palmtreesandbaybreezeblog.com/blog/2018/2/26/erik-killmonger-an-african-tragedy-made-in-america

Lalasticlala,
Mynd44.
Do the needful