This week we are viewing Black Panther, a movie that elicited many positive responses from the Black Community as it showcased a Black director and predominantly Black cast. The movie brings up the subject of African diaspora and the loss of cultural identity. African Americans move to American for many different reasons, whether it’s career opportunities, education, healthcare, or family. Killmonger’s father moved to America as a Wakandan spy, so Killmonger was raised in American. While he knew something of Wakanda, he wasn’t brought up in Wakandan culture; all he had was what his father left behind. He was left with fragments, with stories, but he had to piece all of that information together the best he could, on his own. In spite of his best efforts, he was close to the culture, but he never had complete access to it.
On the other hand, you have people that live in the same area as their ancestors or are surrounded by family and friends like them, and they know exactly who they are. T’Challa knows exactly who he is and what he is supposed to do. He has been groomed and supported by his culture to become the Black Panther. This sense of belonging within his community allows him to deal with the difficult situation of his father’s death as well as his overthrow by Killmonger. The Mayo Clinic discussed how important a sense of belonging is for our physical and mental health. Having a support system and knowing you are not alone, allows you to cope more effectively with difficult times in your life. This is why many people move back to their home country or decided to move to a place where they feel they belong.
A number of African Americans are moving to the Motherland, many inspired by the recent “Year of Return” movement initiated by Ghana, 400 years after the first Africans were brought in chains to Jamestown, Virginia. In 2019 Ghana gave citizenship to 126 people of African descent, many of them Americans. One American who moved was quoted saying, “There is a comfort that comes with being around people who look like you, and seeing [people like you] on billboards and in government positions,” said Reid, 36 (Jones, 2020). Many that have moved say they feel a sense of belonging and view their new country as a safe haven from racism.
Works Cited:
“Is a Sense of Belonging Important?” Mayo Clinic Health System, 8 Mar. 2019, www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/is-having-a-sense-of-belonging-important#:~:text=The%20sense%20of%20belonging%20is%20fundamental%20to%20the%20way%20humankind%20organizes%20itself.&text=The%20social%20ties%20that%20accompany,difficult%20times%20in%20our%20lives.
Jones, Princess. “Why Black Americans Are Moving to Africa.” New York Post, New York Post, 30 Mar. 2020, nypost.com/2020/03/28/why-black-americans-are-moving-to-africa/.
Sparkles, Kira. “Black Panther’s Killmonger Represents a Loss Cultural Identity.” The Mary Sue, 7 Mar. 2018, www.themarysue.com/killmonger-and-cultural-identity/.
In todays society belonging is extremely important. A lot of us have anxiety about not fitting in. I love how you mentioned the loss of culture identity. This is extremely crucial in belonging because your roots are what ground you. Your roots give you that sense of community and grounding that we all need in times of hardship. This is shown in the film.
I think the common theme of everyone wanting to feel a sense of belonging within a community will never change. We saw this with immigrants as they were assimilating to a new country, or in younger kids just trying to fit in at their middle school. The film touches on this concept. It was interesting to me to notice that even though Wakanda is in a way secluded from the rest of the world, they still have a strong community that is supportive and embraces their tradition and culture which in some ways is a challenging thing to do.
I agree that a sense of belonging is a vital part of finding community, and it is one that many people are familiar to. I believe that a sense of belonging can be difficult whether it be assimilating into a new culture or learning to adapt to a society, but I also agree that a sense of belonging is important in creating supportive and long-lasting relationships.
Ytien Pham I definitely agree with you on ow hard it may be to find belonging and where you believe you fit, especially with culture and learning to belong in a society that may not understand or be so excepting. I see that happen a lot in our world today where it can be difficult for some, the belonging aspect is very important for a lot of people and something we should all work on and understand when learning or understanding ones culture.
This is definitely an important point to highlight. I do think this makes a really big difference in the experiences people have. The people who grew up in Wakanda not only had the technological support to make their lives easier in some ways, but they also had a sense of community that others may not have. However, I think it is also important to recognize that the people of Wakanda also may not have had a simplistic upbringing if it was anything like what was shown in the movie. If they were facing constant violence and fighting, then this would also cause trauma for those individual’s as well.
Thanks for your thread. I appreciate you bringing up the importance of belonging to an individual’s cultural identity. The notion of a child being adopted into a foreign community without social or cultural identity must be a great challenge for some. This can especially be seen when older children have stripped away from their homeland and traveled to America. That being said, it’s up to that same community to accept this challenge and do all they can to support them and continue to care for their needs in the time when it is needed the most.
I like this topic you choose to talk about. Belonging is important for everyone and appears several time in our previous readings. Although Killmonger grew up in America, he managed to enter Wakanda to find his belonging. Although he might has some other purpuses, he remembers what his father told him when he was small that Wakanda is the most beautiful place in the world and Wakanda is his hometown.
I think this is a really good topic that you chose to write about and it is very true. Fitting in is such a large part of our culture and world today and I like how you brought up individual cultural identity. I also do not think that the feeling of everyone wanting to feel as if they belong to a certain group or fit into a culture will ever leave, I think that feeling is something that everyone desires.
I really enjoyed reading this. I think find where you belong is a issues a lot of people struggle with especially in a country like the U.S which has a long history of immigration. A lot of people go through a identity crisis because the U.S sees them as foreginers even though they are American while their homeland sees them as too Americanized.
I really like how you brought up the topic of belonging. Killmonger’s “single story” of being raised as an American who knew of Wakanda from the stories of his father, but did not have complete access to it. In a lot of movies when villains are introduced, the audience tends to dislike the character because, well, they are the bad guy. But Killmonger was one of the few villains that I sympathized with because of a lack of belonging compared to what T’Challa had.
That sense of belonging is important. Killmonger grew up in the United States, and he’s not attached to Wakanda’s culture. It’s important in today’s society, where without a sense of belonging there’s a lack of cultural identity.