Considering the film’s premise, no one can deny that Wakanda Forever is a deeply emotional film. It wasn’t one of the many scenes where the Wakandans grieved T’Challa’s death that made me cry though, emotional as they were. It was when Shuri took up the mantle of Black Panther, and the tribal elders placed their hands on her in reverence.
This is a touching scene on its own, but for me, it meant a lot more than just Shuri’s character development. For me, it signified the peaceful union of different tribes, different ethnicities, under one leader. It was their union under a protector - somebody who could defend them not only from the impending battle against Talokan, but also from the rest of the world.Somebody who could protect them from white greed and colonial violence.
I grew up in Indonesia, and that meant my life has been shaped by the scars of colonialism. In Wakanda different tribes live peacefully under the banner of one nation, but over centuries my mother’s people have been pitted against my father’s people by our colonists. Wakanda and Talokan escaped the horrific violence Europeans wrought on people all over the world in greedy pursuit of their motherland’s resources. Instead, Wakanda and Talokan found a way to guard their vibranium, and in keeping their resources for themselves, they thrived.
Wakanda is a nation where their leaders uphold age-old traditions and fashions and beliefs at the same time they sit in the UN as the most powerful leaders in the world. For many former colonies, their practices and beliefs are under constant threat; in order to survive in a world where the most powerful nations on Earth sit on thrones made of the bones of our ancestors, we must relinquish our identities to succeed. To fit in. To survive.
I’ve never had the main conflict of a Marvel movie resonate so deeply for me. Namor is driven by the fear of what the Western world might do to his people if they were to discover their vibranium. These are two peoples fighting against each other not out of hatred or prejudice or greed, but out of fear of colonialism. Namor isn’t the true villain in Wakanda Forever - colonialism is.
So for me, Wakanda Forever is a bit of fun. It’s a great movie, and I enjoy watching it. But more than that, Wakanda Forever makes me grieve. It makes me wonder what our lives could have looked like if white greed had not won over.