David, Josh Michael G.

H12-A
Gupit, Joanne O.
HUMS114

BLACK PANTHER

Black Panther depicts an African fiction nation that is rich in high-technology and limitless resources.
These resources help keep the country flourish and kept hidden from outside entities. With this, the fil
represents possible progression as an effect from colonialism of westerners. A whole new level of casting and
characterization of casts, a black man as a hero and a white man as the villain, not like any other films. The
movie is essentially a vision on what Africa could be, if it wasn’t colonized by Westerners

When talking about Postcolonialism, there are certain characteristics or aspects that make up the
analysis for the literary period. Peter Barry in his book, the Beginning Theory, limits these characteristics into
four, and each characteristic is prominent in Black Panther;
An awareness of literary characterization of non-Western nations as "other", wherein they view Eastern
nations differently, either mysterious or exotic, not like Westerns who are the typical or the standard set by
many. This is noticeably shown in the movie wherein the world sees Wakanda as a 3rd world country, one that
still can't keep up by themselves and visually needs help, when in fact this was all a facade, and they were
presenting a holographic vision of Wakanda as how they want to be viewed, with the real prospering Wakanda
only kept to its inhabitants. They keep their riches and power, masked from the majority and remained things
for themselves as they protect it from anyone who doesn’t have the same goals and vision with the resources.
Attention to language, particularly discomfort with the formalized, standardized use of language, and a
desire to break free of it and revert to natural, regional dialects. While this isn't prominently featured in the
movie, it is still worth noting that the Wakandans use a real South African dialect called the isiXhosa, which
were used by the real-world Xhosans who were oppressed and colonized by the Europeans, bringing forth the
essence of the reality of their history into the movie itself. This shows that the film not only is based on pure
fiction, but shows elements pertaining to the aspects of reality, which was the colonization and oppression of
these “other” nations.
Recognition of “double identities” or unstable identities in which one individual or group belongs both
to the colonizers and the colonized. This idea can be particularly seen in the character of Killmonger.
Killmonger was born Wakandan, yet raised and grew up in the US. His distaste of Wakanda stemmed from two
things: His father killed by the King, his father's brother, as well as Wakanda's continuation of hiding from the
outside territories, as he wanted to use and distribute Wakandan technology to other oppressed minorities, in
hopes of letting them gain the upper hand. From this, we can see that Killmonger is, in a sense, a hybrid,
wherein he is Wakandan and wants to help other minority groups feel free, yet the way he goes about his plan is
less than desired, and has a natural hate for his home country. Killmonger here is shown as an oppressed
individual, not a pure villain. Though he was a true blood Wakandan, he still was treated different for how he
acted to the people of Wakanda. He was a product of an American upbringing and has adapted their ways and
principles as well.
Emphasis on cross-cultural interaction. In the movie setting, the Wakandans' interactions with the lone
white good guy in the film, Everett Ross, shows this aspect multiple times. In a way, we the viewers can be
considered in the shoes of Ross throughout the movie, learning all about African/Wakandan culture as he does,
and seeing how different it is to the usual Western culture and traditions. This causes a more grounded
understanding and positive connections between the Western nations, and the "other".

Black Panther is not only a film that showcase a black superhero but also provide awareness of
Postcolonialism to the modern masses. It presents how typical things can be turned around with the power of
believing and embracing the things a nation has by removing the influences of the colonizers and empowering
the minority, making them feel free and be independent. Postcolonialism isn’t only geared towards white
colonizers alone, but colonizers in general, regardless of race and nationality. Therefore, the film definitely
promotes a change of perspective towards one’s identity and culture to finally accept and break free from the
colonizers.