Black Panther: An Analysis of Community and Black Culture

This essay analyzes how Black Panther has brought out the concept of community, its functions, and various aspects with a special focus on the Black culture. It explores the critical functions of the African-American community in the movie and how it empowers Black culture. The essay also discusses the aspects of community, including naturality, permanence, and identity, and how they are depicted in the movie.

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Nasser Alabdulbaqi
Composition
11-16-2018
Movie Community
Black Panther is an enlightening movie that has led to rave reviews and triggered conversations
all over traditional media and social media alike. In fact, there have been no signals of the
exhilaration dwindling, either, as the discussion regarding the movie has changed from
deliberations about the significance of demonstration into something grander: a rather world-
shattering commemoration of the African-American culture. This essay will analyze how this
movie has brought out the concept of community, its functions as well as its various aspects with
a special focus on the Black culture.
African-American community plays critical functions in the Marvel’s film, Black Panther. For
many years, this community has been portrayed as unsophisticated, backward, disorganized, and
savage in almost everything from videos to the news. Black Panther aims at challenging such
perceptions using the critical functions of the African-American community. Black culture in
this movie shows the unnoticed beauty and ingenuity among the African-American population.
In so doing, it works as an empowerment tool for Black people who have had the notion of
inferiority or hideous vis-à-vis to their White counterparts. For instance, the main setting of this
movie is in Wakanda, on the African continent and not to forget some of the main characters like
Lupita Nyong’o who are typical blacks. What is more, the African-American community in
Black Panther draws attention to showcase the culture’s incomparable designing capabilities. In
point of fact, Camille Friend, in an interview in New York referred to it as “a totally Afrocentric,

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natural hair movie” (Martin, 6). In a nutshell, The Black community in this video purpose to
show various concealed aspects of their culture and in the process restore the pride amongst its
members. This has been depicted through their actors and actresses who are in their traditional
dress codes and in their natural hairstyles and complexions
In the previous essay, the community was defined as a large or small social unit (a group of
people) which has mutual or shared values, identity, norms, or religion. The community often
shares a sense of locale which is found in a particular geographical region (for instance a village,
neighbourhood, town, or country) or in an implicit space through communication platforms
(consulted, 7). Long-lasting relationships which broaden past immediate genealogical bonds also
characterize a sense of community. Community members tend to describe these communal
connections or bonds as vital to their practice, identity, as well as roles in social institutions (like
work, government, family, home, society, or humanity at-large). The African-American
community in the movie Black Panther explicitly fit in this description. Throughout the film plot,
the characters intent to define their social ties by working together in unison, and as highlighted
beforehand, they are at displaying various outstanding aspects of the culture such unity of
purpose. There is the scene when five African ethnic groups fight over a meteorite comprising of
vibranium. One of the warriors gulps a "heart-shaped herb" affected by the metal and acquires
extraordinary capabilities, emerging the first "Black Panther". Using his supernatural abilities he
unites all people but the Jabari Tribe to establish the homeland of Wakanda. With years, the
Wakandans make use of the vibration to build up sophisticated technology and separate
themselves from other people by forming as a Third World nation.
African-American in Black Panther movie emphasizes various aspects of the community such as
naturality, permanence, and identity as observed from the characters who act wearing their

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traditional attires and the setting of the movie in natural environments to depict the aspect of
naturality. The environment is at its ordinary setting perhaps in impressive, imaginative place or
far-flung planet. This environment represents the collective resourcefulness and beauty of black
people. Besides, the African costumes, as well as the general appearance of the actors, are used
to inculcate meaning and pride of the community. For instance, the African actors appear without
makeups to denote their natural beauty. Permanence is another aspect emphasized by Wakanda
in this movie. A community is always a permanent group of people living in a given territory.
Unlike an association or a crowd, it is permanent. The production of the movie was meant to
reveal the lengthy spiky journey which the community has embarked on since the time
immemorial. Despite the various changes which have taken place in the general human race, the
Black society remains intact with a strong belief in its values, ethnicity, and culture. This is clear
from the fact that black actors perform without makeups and also wearing their traditional attires.
As the video’s chief attire designer, Ruth Carter, told NPR, the set of clothes, like Wakanda
itself, purposed to stir up a people and place that had “never been colonized, one that looked
toward the future but was based on a genuine history (Yu par, 5).” Carter in collaboration with
her panel drew on South African, Namibian, and Kenyan points of reference to complete the
video’s collection of attire reflecting not only the ethnic diversity found within Wakanda but as
well the identity of black culture. The movie is a critical validation stamp for African-
Americans’ urge for the chance to commemorate everything from Afrofuturism to the natural
hair movement that is normally ridiculed in the majority spaces.
There are various realistic and unrealistic aspects of the African-American community. The
African characters have a strong belief in the importance of communication skills. To them,
effective communication skills are vital for an individual’s success in his/her endeavours.

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Ideally, it is sensible to argue that in the current era, one has to master exceptional
communication abilities for him to make in the contemporary labyrinth of life. What is more,
religion is a powerful force among the Black community and they have a strong trust in the
significance of religious doctrines. Needless to say, religion is a pertinent part of people’s lives.
It influences their loyalties, hopes, views, values, worries and fears.
The general plot, setting and production of the movie Black Panther suggest that a community’s
distinctive features should be referenced. It suggests that even though some communal values,
characteristics or attributes appear absurd or illogical, they should be respected and those people
should not be scorned, mistreated or disdained. Black Panther draws attention to this fact and this
is why even the actors and actresses are in their traditional dress codes and in their natural
hairstyles and complexions. It aims to remind the community members that in spite of changes
such as Westernization which has occurred in the past years, their values, beliefs and their
lifestyles, in general, are still intact.

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Works Cited
Black Panther . Dir. Ryan Coogler. Perf. Ryan Coogler. 2018.
consultez, Vous. "Community, identity and the cultural space." 2001. CAIRN.INFO. 15 Nov.
2018 <https://www.cairn.info/revue-rue-descartes-2002-2-page-19.htm>.
Martin, Crystal. "How ‘Black Panther’ Got Its Gorgeous Afrocentric Hair." 14 February 2018.
The New York Times. 16 November 2018 <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/style/black-
panther-natural-hair.html>.
Yu, Mallory. "'Black Panther' Costume Designer Draws On 'The Sacred Geometry Of Africa'."
16 February 2018. npr. 16 Nov. 2018 <https://www.npr.org/2018/02/16/586513016/black-
panther-costume-designer-draws-on-the-sacred-geometry-of-africa>.

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