As the highly-anticipated film Black Panther is released in cinemas, Yolande Bouka discusses Afrofuturism tugs firmly on black memory, recalling the role of Africans in contemporary International Relations.
Next week, Marvel Studios will release one of its most anticipated films in the studio’s ten-year history. Black Panther, set in the fictional Wakanda, a vibranium resource-rich and technologically advanced African country, has shattered records by selling more advance tickets than any previous superhero movie. Part of Black Panther’s success can be attributed in part to the expansion of Marvel’s Black fan base. Black people around the world–most of whom are not traditional Marvel fans–have put their whole weight behind the film. While Marvel’s Comic Universe has featured superheroes of color for decades now, the release of Black Panther in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe breaks new ground in the cinematographic comic industry.
Article originally published on Africa at LSE
