CMU School of Drama


Thursday, March 01, 2018

The Religion of Black Panther's Jabari Tribe Raises Questions About Cultural Appropriation

io9.gizmodo.com: The moment you first lay eyes on Black Panther’s Wakanda, you can immediately see the care and attention to detail that went into realizing the fictional nation’s diverse array of cultures. They blend elements of the fantastical with actual African iconography, languages, and tradition. But certain religious aspects have raised eyebrows.

1 comment:

BinhAn Nguyen said...

I am not sure how I feel about this as I definitely see where the author of this article is coming from. It does seem odd that, in a world where all names and cultures are made up, one god is borrowed from a completely different religion. However, I am not sure if this is a big enough situation to be angry about. To me, it is obvious that the film makers tried their best to be authentic to African cultures and, though I am mad at the lack of attention to detail, this was just a mistake that they did not think would have repercussions. In the future, I think that movies should definitely pay closer attention to their details, even if its only said by a minor character. However, this move has been released and I think taking issue with such a trivial matter diminishes the value of matters that are actually a direct offense to other cultures.