LONDON (Reuters) – Cameras flashed as the stars of Marvel’s highly-anticipated “Black Panther” sequel walked the red carpet at the London premiere of “Wakanda Forever”.
Set in the fictional African land of Wakanda, “Black Panther” became a global hit and was hailed as a landmark for racial diversity in Hollywood when it was released in 2018.
Released by Disney-owned Marvel, it was the first superhero film to feature a predominantly black cast.
For the cast members of “Forever Wakanda”, the Marvel feature has had a positive impact on perceptions of the mainland.
“Embracing the diversity that is African culture has made other people embrace their indigenous cultures as well,” said Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia, one of the main characters.
“We are celebrating our culture, we are celebrating where we come from in an extremely inclusive way,” she said.
“Black Panther” was the highest-grossing film of 2018 in the United States and Canada, and the second-biggest worldwide, with $1.3 billion in ticket sales.
“I needed this movie as a kid because there aren’t so many role models,” said Florence Kasumba, who stars in the film, at the Thursday night premiere.
For Ayodeji Aiyesimoju, professor of media studies at Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Nigeria, the film marked a turning point in black history and challenged some stereotypes about Africa.
“That opened up conversations for questions. People were genuinely interested in knowing about the continent,” he said in an interview.
Others were less positive.
Rather than supporting the African film industry, “Black Panther” was just another exploitation of Africa by Westerners to profit from their own idealized version of it, said a Nigerian film industry insider.
“But you have to understand that it was Africa that impacted Black Panther,” said US-born Zimbabwean actress Danai Gurira, who plays the superhero Okoye in both films.
“The role I played was about looking at what Africa was and bringing (that) to the world.”
(Reporting by David Doyle and Sarah Mills)
#Black #Panther #Cast #Film #Changed #Perception #Africa