Their image of wearing distinctive clothing, holding guns and protecting their communities left a powerful impression on people and played a big part in the fight of civil rights, they helped shape the way people thought about social justice and activism.

Marvel Studios hosted a New York Fashion Week event to celebrate “Black Panther” and showcase bespoke designer pieces and capsule collections inspired by the film.

•The film shows us the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, which has avoided European colonisation and achieved a technological superiority through the use of a mineral called Vibranium. T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) must fight a number of foes who oppose him becoming king after the death of his father. 

•produced by Marvel Studios also a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. 

•The film has grossed well over $1 billion worldwide, with 48% in non-US countries. 

•nominated for a ‘Best Picture’ Academy Award. It won three Oscars for Costume, Production Design, and Original Soundtrack.

•Directed by Ryan Coogler

•Released in February 2018

Wakanda has avoided European colonisation and achieved a technological superiority through the use of Vibranium. T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) must fight a number of foes who oppose him becoming king after the death of his father.

Extremely successful movie – broke records for the highest opening weekend in USA. Grossed over $1 billion worldwide, 48% in non-US countries.

Cost $200 million to make. $150 to market. 

Nominated for ‘Best Picture’ Academy Award.

Won 3 Oscars for Costume, Production Design, and Original Soundtrack

5th-20th century - European powers colonised African countries and exploited the continent for both resources and slave labour. A 

Africans were branded ‘savages’ by the European invaders, their cultures dismissed as ‘primitive’  

Early 20th century – African Americans attempted to establish a new back cultural identity with movements such as the Harlem Renaissance  

1966-1982 – The Black Panther Party was a political activist group established initially to provide armed monitoring of police behaviour and prevent police brutality in the US. It was controversial, with many Panthers being arrested or killed in confrontations with police. 

The difference between Afrofuturism and ‘regular’ sci-fi is that it mostly leans on ancient African traditions and black identity

A black character in a futuristic piece is simply not enough. To be completely Afrofuturism it should be deeply rooted. Moreover, it should celebrate the uniqueness of the black culture.

Black Panther is a perfect example of Afrofuturism. The movie dons the theme of Afrofuturism unapologetically, 

E.g. Shuri is a tech genius. She is the smartest person in Wakanda and is in charge of the development and maintenance of state-of-the-art gadgets that T’Challa uses

Wakanda is a fictional country in Africa. The utopian society is also home to Vibranium, one of the world’s riches mineral. Ancient traditions are still present in Wakanda even though the state is highly developed

Donald Trump vowed to reverse many of these, winning support from mostly white, right wing Americans who consider such initiatives unfair. In addition, Trump has insulted other countries (including many in Africa), and refused to condemn violent racist attacks in American cities. 

Worrying statistics about the amount of unarmed ‘people of colour’ (POC) shot by US police led to the #blacklivesmatter campaign, which has utilised social media to raise awareness of an issue that has often been ignored by mainstream media.

For the last 15 years, MCU have topped the box office. These regularly featured non-white ‘side-kick’ characters(e.g. The Falcon in the Captain America films). 

There have also been very few superhero films with a female lead (Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel being exceptions). 

Black cinema has traditionally consisted of issues-based social realism (e.g. the films of Spike Lee) or have been ‘arthouse’/’prestige’ pictures (e.g. Moonlight, 2016). Blade (1998) is one of the few superhero films to have a black main character. 

In 2016, the #oscarssowhite meme drew attention to the lack of diversity in the films nominated. • US/European news media tends to portray Africa as an under-privileged, developing country, focusing on civil wars, famine and terrorism. The Victorian branding of Africa as ‘the Dark Continent’ has not evolved very far. Very few feature films from Africa reach the Western mainstream, and films like Blood Diamond (2006) and Captain Phillips (2013), though featuring sympathetic African characters, still portray Africa as a dangerous and barbaric place.