We just saw the film and had to discuss some of what we loved and much of what we, ahem, did not.* Some questions we raise include why isn’t Killmonger the hero??! What’s up with the pan-Africanism here?!!! Why are they smiling at each other!?!?! And is this merely a remake of Paul Robeson’s Sanders of the River?

*(“Hate,” we remind, is our satirical play on criticism and is connected to the idea that we “hate” what prevents revolution. For more on this see our Hate Awards).

Please watch this 1960 speech by Patrice Lumumba, and notice the sash he wears (less stylish but similar to the film’s near final scene), but notice the diametrically opposed position taken by him in his remarks and how those remarks were received by the colonial powers, understanding, of course, that Lumumba would be assassinated the following year in 1961.

Also mentioned above:

  1. Fruitvale Station is Sadly Fruitless
  2. The Unlucky “13th”
  3. Just Some of What’s Wrong With “Selma”
  4. Whose Black Panther? The Politics and History of the Comic and Film

13 Replies

  1. “Yeah, man I’m planning to go see the Black Panther movie, and I’m goin’ to see it just for entertainment. I don’t care nothin’ about its political matters,ya know what I’m sayin’? Plus, all movies don’t have to be political.”Not so, says the late Amiri Baraka-writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism: “All art is political. The art that is less political is the art that confirms the politics of the people that rule, since that’s less of a contrasting opinion”.[ The Western imperialistic powers and CIA, joined by Congolese traitor, Mobuto Sese Seko, overthrow democratically elected Patrice Lumumba, a Pan- Africanist whose views are similar to Black Panther’s Killmonger’s anti Western political motives and must be killed.] “The art that seems most political is the art that has a contrasting opinion to the people that rule, because then it seems out of kilter with the norm” [So, if Killmonger or N’Jadaka actually carries out and embraces what his father, Prince N’joba believes–that Wakanda should be spreading its futuristic wealth to subjugated blacks throughout the African diaspora and in the process, ending American- Western hegemony and military power over them].

    Africans living according to the European value system is what makes it possible for Europeans to continue dominating the African world.

  2. Wow, amazing review and as expected from calibre like iMWiL! I especially like your point about the part of the movie at the end with the UN speech, where Wakanda hands over resources to West as CIA agent smiles, which opposes Lumumba’s intentions as shown in his speech. This speaks to the point of a Pan-African world presented in the movie with an anti-Pan-African nation.
    I found it interesting that in a way we see foreshadowing of this relationship already between the West and Wakanda when in the movie the CIA agent uses Wakandan technology, the plane, to destroy the Wakandan weapons intended for fighting presumably US interests like overthrowing the various US friendly, neo-colonial and imperialist, governments.
    Again, great review and sadly I think this Disney movie’s political messages, like killing Killmonger and discrediting politics, by equating Pan-Africanism to British imperialism and labeling him a terrorist outsider, seems to outweigh the positive aspects of the movie, which made the movie hard to watch as it was so appealing.

    1. Oh yea one last point. Maybe I’m looking too much into this and connecting dots that don’t connect but does the movie indirectly discredit the Oakland Black Panthers’ politics through the killing of Killmonger and discrediting his politics?

      On one hand, as mentioned in the review I believe, this is a disney commercial product that disassociates the term black panther from the political party. However, on the other hand the movie also seems to have the other effect, whether intentionally or not, of discrediting the party.

      I only thought of this when putting this idea in the context of Killmonger being portrayed as this radicalized individual from Oakland who uses violence, and people usually thinking of the Oakland panthers when they hear “black panther” and subtle images promoting the movie like when there was a picture side by side of the panther sitting on his throne looking similar to Huey Newton sitting in a chair. Also, I can’t find the speech unfortunately, but it reminds me of a speech in which Obama discredited the Black Panther party when saying something to the effect of minority groups from the 60’s using violence and how this was wrong. People knew he meant the panthers, but he didn’t say their name.

      Again, maybe I’m looking into this too much but it made me think of it because as the review says that UN speech and how Killmonger was portrayed made the movie hard to watch.

    2. Folks can analyze a movies political meaning as much as they want. But revolutionary Pan-Africanism isn’t about abstract analysis. It’s about social practice. As we tweet hundreds of thousands of Africans are on verge of starvation and you hear crickets from the CBC – only a rallying cry from post Obama admin Kool-Aid sippers supporting Maxine Waters! No movement demanding US accountability for its Africa policy that buttress despots, hustlers, and elites in power. Folks should be ashamed of themselves kicking this abstract crap.

  3. Basically when you puts the large pink pals in charge of our “well-being, you’re NOT going anywhere. Their main aims are stagnation&procrastination for us PERIOD! For Fruitvale was a somewhat valid attempt to clarification of messy pigs hate, it will never show the real consequences of fate

  4. So yeah, like Reagan tried to kill Muammar Gaddafi in ’86 and Hillary finished the job when she was working for Obama. Why? Because Gaddafi was trying to set up a Central Bank for all Africa. He had the gold to back it and was about to get it set up so Africa would not have to use US dollars to pay for their imports when Hillary got wind of it from the French President Sarkozy, who had his own score to settle with Muammar who had given him 50 million Euro (an illegal acceptance) for his 2007 bid for the Presidency. Hillary Clinton set Pan-Africanism back probably decades.

    1. Hey, guys ! What I see from here, my distant South America is that whatever that movie was about, certainly had nothing to do with us ! As a matter of fact, it seems to be all about American Blacks and Africa. Is this Pan Africanism ?
      Not even a word to mention the 2 million Afrovenezoelans 150 thousand Afroargentinians, 65 thousand Afroparaguayans disappearing in the Paraguayan Black Belt, 302 thousand Afrouruguayans, 4 million Afroperuvians, 25 thousand Afrobolivians and what about the 110 million Afrobrazilians ???

      It is too bad that Marvel, as expected, only refers to the Black Population as an idea…Now, you guys analyzing the monster and forgetting to even briefly glance to your very own neighbors gives me an allergy attack, since you seem to be so well informed about Africa.., Is this Pan Africanism ? It encompasses the USA, perhaps European blacks? Wow…

      1. “what about the 110 million Afrobrazilians ???”
        Wait a minute… just checking… please reply if you are familiar with the movie Besuro? Do you know where it was filmed and who it was about? I’d love to hear your thoughts about how Besuro was received in comparison to how Black Panther was received in the host country for Besuro? And if you saw it, then you’d know we didnt’t leave our family in South America out of the conversation… in fact, the love was elevated for Candomble as seen in Besuro? Check again from 6 to 7 minutes.

  5. Excellent film review! I have been waiting for this !!! I haven’t seen BP yet and probably won’t till I can see it for free. I did see “Fruitvale” in Oakland when it came out and was FURIOUS at the ending! I walked out pissed! The lies from the roles of the pigs made me furious. The script of how the friends of OG and family was laid out was revolting. It was a bastardization of reality and ended up being a massive disrespect of the life of Oscar Grant, Jr. I’d wished I hadn’t paid to see the film. This is why I am sure BP film will be another kick in the head of the people of Africa in particular and the African Diaspora in general.

    1. and I’m not even mentioning all the other countries of South, Central and North America. This “African Diaspora” in general seems to be centered in the USA. You guys got to be Killmonger, I don’t envy the depiction. The rest of us only exist as a flimsy idea to support a script biased and evidently aimed to colonizing the unaware minds.

  6. I saw the movie & was looking forward to the Killer B’s review. You cats didn’t disappoint.Killmonger was definitely the hero or anti hero. Hate’s analysis was right on point. Wakanda as an anti Afrikan internationalist nation was correct.Is there any reading material you can direct me to regarding the CIA’s role in Frantz Fanon’s death . Thanks.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *