Yes, Wakanda is a fictional place and “Black Panther” is “just” a film, but the spiritual imagination that undergirds the movie can be an opportunity for learning, and even a fostering of faith in the idea that we can build a better world, if we are willing.
In a real world that has so maligned black peoples and the continent of Africa, and questioned if any good can ever come from this place, director Ryan Coogler reminds his viewers both of the beauty that already exists on the continent, and also what may yet be possible.
The film begins shortly after the death of Wakanda's King T'Chaka (John Kani). His son, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), returns to Wakanda to assume his father's mantle and the authority and responsibility of serving as both king and Black Panther, protector of Wakanda.
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