From Zamunda To Wakanda: How ‘Black Panther’ Reimagined African Style


The last time we saw the kind of opulence, grandeur and pure African style displayed in Marvel’s latest box office juggernaut “Black Panther” was, perhaps, 30 years ago, in the classic Eddie Murphy comedy “Coming to America.”

The film overflows with images of Africans looking amazing ― in (lion) furs, in raffia, in blinding gold. Never mind that Zamunda, protagonist Prince Akeem’s birthplace, is not a real country. Never mind that the costumes he and his cohorts wear borrow from all over the continent, from west to east to south Africa.

In “Black Panther,” set in another fictional country, called Wakanda, the depth of traditional African style is even more pronounced. In a pivotal scene at Warrior Falls, we see the entirety of Wakanda and its several tribes on display: Here we have brightly patterned wax prints, neon-colored lip plates, and regal, elaborate headdresses, all incorporating aspects of different African cultures and traditions, visuals that exist beyond the white and Western imagination. 

MARVEL

The attire of the tribes of Wakanda incorporates aspects of different African cultures and traditions.

What’s striking about the visual and sartorial elements of “Black Panther,” or “Coming to America” before it, is that its collage-like approach to the African aesthetic has, at times, been a topic of diaspora debate.

Every few years or so, Black Twitter finds itself embroiled in a conversation about the ever-thorny subject of cultural appropriation. The debate usually hinges on what should, ultimately, be a non-question: Can African Americans “appropriate” African culture?

A blog post titled “Black America, Please Stop Appropriating African Clothing and Tribal Marks” that made the rounds in 2017 sparked one of these discussions. The author argued that non-Africans (that is, black Americans with several generations born and raised in America) who wore things like dashikis and cowrie shells were belittling and disrespecting the traditions of African people from the continent. 

Ignoring the fact that black Americans and other black people throughout the diaspora are literally descended from Africans, and therefore, African, the author stated:

I would just like you all to realize the hypocrisy of seeing someone wearing a Fulani septum ring, rocking a djellaba, painted with Yoruba-like tribal marks, all the while claiming that this is meant to be respectful. It’s a hodgepodge, a juxtaposition, a right mess of regional, ethnic and cultural customs and it screams ignorance and cultural insensitivity.

The article is just one of many on the subject that claims African Americans and other blacks in the diaspora with no so-called direct ties to Africa are being disrespectful by rocking African styles merely for the aesthetic. These essays claim that black Americans are, in fact, equally as guilty as the white boy rocking dreads or the white girl in kente. 

But then a movie like “Black Panther” comes along, and the futility, the absurdity of such a debate is highlighted so vibrantly it makes you want to cry or laugh, or both.  

Because aesthetically, “Black Panther” is very much a hodgepodge, a juxtaposition, a mix of regional, ethnic and cultural customs. And that’s part of what makes it so brilliant. 

Costume designer Ruth E. Carter, in collaboration with production designer Hannah Beachler, created a “Wakandan Bible” early on in production, a tome that set the standard for “Black Panther” and the inhabitants of its world ― from the Dora Milaje, King T’Challa’s personal body guard, to the Jabari, a clan that lives in the mountains of Wakanda. 

 

Education General Life Race/Racism

RankTribe's Favorite Black-owned Businesses...

RankTribe Black Business Directory

RankTribe is a Black Business Directory and social network platform that will enable our tribes (communities) to support Black-owned businesses

Naomi's Garden Restaurant & Lounge

Set in a serene garden ambience, Naomi's offers a rich tapestry of Haitian and Caribbean flavors. Each dish, crafted with love and authenticity, invites diners on a culinary journ...

Based on 355 Reviews

Highest-rated Black Business Directory Mobile App!

thousands of black-owned businesses at your fingertips