I feel we have had more than enough time to reflect, marinate, and embody our thoughts and feelings towards the direction Wakanda is going. Did the movie Black Panther Wakanda Forever give what it needed to give?
In this episode, we share how we felt about the movie and what themes stood out to us.
Which team would you choose to win this game? Team Wakandans or Team Talakans? Or Team 3?
One theme that stood out to me in this movie was the focus on the two most powerful groups on the planet fighting each other for 2 hours and 41 minutes over damage and chaos caused by a bully, colonizer, or institution of bully colonization. I feel this dynamic reflects reality in the two extremes we follow historically to steer change and playing the bigger game. Let’s unpack that.
Team Wakandans’ mode of operation is to be the bigger person. The noble one that navigates their decisions for the higher good. This is great and admirable, but can possibly hinder progress if done narrow mindedly. For example, Wakanda’s previous decision to set up an outreach program in Compton, California is wonderful. In addition to that, why could we not also set up an outreach program next door in Niger? That could also help balance out the exploitation bases there. Another good example is the scene at the UN meeting in this movie. The Queen of Wakanda is invited and two particular countries, the US and France, hold the majority of the dialogue in the scene. They insist the world is not safe if only Wakanda has access to vibranium and it is in the best interest of international policy to give it to the US and France. However, behind the scenes, they had already deployed their agents to try to steal the vibranium. Does this sound familiar?
Let’s connect some dots. Is it too much of a stretch to note that vibranium rhymes with uranium? Or that the US and France are currently in Niger playing the international diplomacy violin for the cameras and causing the proxy chaos behind the scenes for access to uranium? What role is ECOWAS playing? Are they showing up like Wakanda, calmly refusing to participate in the destruction of their neighbors while protecting their resources and people? Or are they volunteering to be played?
But, back to the movie. Team Talakans’ mode of operation is to be the only person standing…or swimming. When the opponent goes low, the Talakans will show you how low they can go. This influences their decisions to mostly drown first and don’t ask questions later. Similar to Wakanda, their heart is in the right place and they are valid in protecting themselves the way they do. Actually, I felt they have a better sense of what bullies are capable of compared to Wakandans. For example, when the King of Talakan was asked why he chose not to kill Shuri and destroy Wakanda, because he could have, his answer reflects a lot of wisdom. He understands the game, or scam, people on land play. He notes that Wakanda is the most powerful group of people on land, but they have no ally and obviously do not fully grasp the games others are playing. One day, Wakanda will need Talakans help. Talakan will give that help…probably for a price. It’s giving Godfather. It’s giving Mafia chess moves. It’s giving ancient Egyptian empire has entered the chat. Is it clean? Probably not. But is it effective? Possibly.
Now, let’s connect some more dots. Do you see how these two teams represent previous attempts to pushing for change and protection? One side wants to use reason and fairness. Wants to discuss and make arrangements. The other side wants to take back its power by any means necessary. Wants to protect its own by all costs. Because all their lives they had to fight. Two extremes that have played out throughout history all over the world. And yet, these two extremes have been played or blindsided each time by an outsider bully looking to distract and extract. That is something I appreciated about this movie. This dynamic is not only focused on Africa or Black vs white. Latin America, the Islands, Asia, and the Middle East have also experienced variations of this. All dealing with similar groups of bullies.
If this same game has been played for so long, why does everyone continue to play the same role? That is what I found fascinating. At least in the way I saw the movie. Wakanda and Talakan are powerful, but they are playing as pieces on the board of the game. While the bully is sitting at the table moving the pieces. Regardless of how strategic Wakanda and Talakan try to be, or how much effort, resources, or sacrifice they give, they can only see and fight what is in front of them, which is placed on the board by the bully.
Which team do you think can win at this game? Or, could we have a third option? Team 3 could leverage the combined strength of Wakanda and Talakan, but also be smarter to either be 10 steps ahead of the bully or completely transform the board game.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Again, remember, we are only talking about a movie. Based on a comic book and fantasy. None of this is real.
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Dagny Zenovia 