W A K A N D A
F O R E V E R!
If you haven’t watched the film yet, what are you waiting for? I know you may be waiting for the hype to die down…But honestly you do not want to miss the current NUMBER 1 MOVIE THE WORLD!
Black Panther has to be the film of the year and the year has just about begun.
“Marvels Black Panther has already celebrated its place in cinematic history as one of the most high profile Black super hero movies to date!”
USA TODAY
Excitement is brewing:
This is a movement that many have anticipated for years!
Because we all predicted utter greatness, we decided to get the squad together for this film! The Whatsapp broadcast was sent in January and we booked tickets immediately occupying a whole row!
The Main Cast:
With an exceptional cast pioneering the film, you can already see how amazing it was going to be. Old with young, legends with new kids on the block. But each actor/actress perfectly suited for their role.
Chadwick Boseman – T’Challa
Angela Basset – Ramonda
Lupita Nyong’o – Nakia
Letitia Wright – Shuri
Michael B Jordan – Erik Killmonger
Danai Gurira – Okoyo
Winston Duke – N’Baku
Forest Whitaker – Zuri
Andy Serkis – Klaw
Martin Freeman – Everett K. Ross
Daniel Kaluuya – W’Kabi
Ooo congrats on winning a BAFTA last night!
By the way, we see you Lupita X Michael B Jordan!
I am sooo here for this!
Short intermission:
Enjoy this gorgeous fan art work
BLACK PANTHER DAY:
Tuesday 13th February 2018
Pancake day Black Panther day finally arrived.
After I made some pancakes and did some work, I began to get ready. There was no was we were showing up late to this film. For weeks I had been planning what to wear, yet I still wasn’t quite sure. I settled for the blue Dashiki, headwrap, black leather jeans and over the knee boots.
I sent out the reminder messages and started my commute to Stratford.
SUDDENLY… I received word that Westfield had been evacuated because of a fire.
What more could happen? Is this a set up! Surely someone’s lying?
Because I was half way there, I decided to continue my journey. When I arrived I saw huge crowds downstairs and around 30 police officers on the ground floor. It looked more like a riot than a fire. I was super confused, but nevertheless, made my way upstairs to the newly re-opened cinema.
After sending out a ton of broadcasts to update the group we eventually managed to link up, eat and make our way upstairs.
You didn’t buy your tickets in advance? Sorrrrry.
No lie, there were about 100/200 people upstairs, tensions were high because many people had been evacuated, missed their showing or were unhappy with the service and demanded a refund.
After waiting around for about 30 minutes because of a ‘movie delay’, we eventually got into our screen and took our rightful place in Row K!
The Vibe:
It was beautiful to see a cinema full of men and women, people of colour one and alike representing their culture and heritage.
As our film started the first time round, there was no sound, then eventually, an hour after our assigned time this Marvel of a film started (see what I did there).
We were catching so much jokes! We would laugh, boo cheer and clap at the same time, the atmosphere was electric!
NO SPOILERS BUT…
True Marvel fans know to stay past the credits *ahem* twice.
The Best Feeling:
I left the cinema feeling inspired, empowered and fulfilled. No lie, I slept so well and felt uplifted the next day.
After the film we bumped into so many people. New faces with beautiful souls. We felt like one, we were united and were feeling elated together. I’ve never experienced this kind of atmosphere, everyone dressed up for one cause and taking photos with strangers… ok well there’s Notting Hill Carnival, but you catch my drift.
At one point, amidst all the madness in Westfield, myself and few others were approached by professional photographer and blogger (didn’t know this at the time lol) Holly Cato. She politely asked to take my photo as she was capturing everyone who came all dressed up for Black Panther.
📸@h_cato
Backlash?
Backlash for what please? Can’t you let us be great?
I’ve seen so many ridiculous posts about the film being racist and people disagreeing with the fact that fans were showing up in traditional wear…
But when Star Wars comes out we see super fans dressed in costume…
(Disclaimer, I actually like Star Wars)
There is so much more to the film than what meets the eye.
I can see how much positivity and joy this film has brought. Hearing that celebrities are paying for peoples tickets to watch the movie and buying out the whole cinema…
Speaking of Kendrick Lamar, saints have you heard the soundtrack for the Black Panther movie? Download, buy, stream, do whatever, need I say anymore?
It was refreshing to see such vibrancy, colour and positivity without the usual drug empowered, gang warfare driven violence we usually see in stereotypical “black films”.
Our warrior who plays Nakia in the film said this during an interview:
‘We have come from a beautiful country that has been assaulted, abused and exploited. Colonialism rewrote our history – the global narrative is of poverty, war and strife.’
Lupita Nyong’o
And this is all you and I have seen, and continue to see…
Whereas in the film, the futuristic Wakanda is a huge depiction of what an African country could have looked like had it not been colonised, it’s mad.
In general, the wealth of the African continent is hardly seen, but in Black Panther we see ‘WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN’ and what’s surely to come 😉
One time for the WOMEN!
Ladies, we are hero’s heroines!
It doesn’t take a film to let someone know that us women are mighty beings
– childbirth duhhh
🤷🏾♀️
During the film I saw women and girls who resemble me! A film showing actresses with dark chocolate skin, thick Afro hair and gorgeous features taking lead roles.
The women in the Black Panther are powerful, wise and admirable. These heroines are intelligent and strong and when they fight you can’t help but scream GIRL POWER!
What I love about the women is that they are highly skilled, trained warriors who think fast and save the day. I’m so tired of seeing women represented as weak and feeble. The usual damsel in distress, tied down to a rail track waiting for her hero to come and rescue her 😩
Here we have a movie where the women aren’t depicted as their usual rude, sometimes over sexualised, all in your face, snap your fingers and patting their weave stereotypes!
In Wakanda, we have women I would be proud to imitate. Folks, t’s time to create a new narrative. One of classiness, education, sophistication and strength.
Where do we go from here?
It’s time to build from this.
We have a film where my children have a hero that “looks like them”.
For once, it’s amazing to see that people of colour aren’t represented as poor, criminals or stupid.
Colonialism , racism, colorism, nationalism, these and many other issues were explored in the film and I truly believe the BLACK PANTHER MOVEMENT is here to stay.
No, one movie won’t make up for years of being excluded and intense marginalisation, but it certainly paved the way in re-educating human kind.
I for one am ready to champion this and make sure my future children understand that they are Kings & Queens. I want my little ones to have positive influences and role models and remember who they’re representing.
Dwayne told me to call him King T’Challa from now on, not sure how that one will go down at the dinner table.
W A K A N D A
F O R E V E R