vibranium and wealth while African descendants were enslaved? Did they really just sit back and watch all of their neighbors experience colonialization? Did they do nothing about Apartheid? Did they ever reflect on these atrocities and think maybe they should do something, even if from the shadows?
Whatever some Wakandans may have thought, the nation as a whole did not act. It’s no surprise, then, that Killmonger decided that disbursing arms to the African descendants was the best way to liberate them. While in the military, he had seen the benefits of war and the strength of arms. Can we really suppress our racial and historical ties of oppression in the name of international interdependence? Hadn’t international security failed Black people? Would the United States ever grant the UN permission to intervene on racial violence and oppression within its own borders?
Pan-Africanism does not deny the idealistic hope and possibilities of collective action, and it does not denigrate the importance of international institutions. But it does recognize that that those outside of the diaspora have continually made little to no effort in assisting in the liberation of African descendants globally. Hasn’t the status quo done a pretty good job of maintaining itself, even after the atrocities of World War II, and more recently the environmental disasters in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, and Japan? The system of international institutions and collective security may be a formidable opponent for superpowered aliens from outer space, but it is no match for the hegemonic superpower of states in the real world. It’s easy to identify an alien threat coming from outer space, but a little more difficult to recognize human atrocities taking place across the sea by an important trading partner.
If anyone is going to save Africans, it is going to have to be Africans, on the home continent and across the globe. Africans must fight to save themselves and will be better off doing it together – and the African homeland is the most logical place for such a revival to take place. But why didn’t Killmonger ask for financial assistance for Africans from Wakanda instead of weapons? Is violence the best way to liberate Black people? Or is it just the only thing that the oppressor respects?
What are the barriers to Killmonger’s Pan-Africanism? First, and most importantly, selfishness and feelings of superiority by one nation, or group of people, over another. This is different from nationalism or protectionism where a nation establishes economic policy or creates institutions in the best interests of its own people. One can advocate for one’s specific racial or ethnic group based on shared history, experiences, and culture without pronouncing one’s group to be superior to another. But in the case of Black Panther, Wakanda clearly had it figured out. It was safe, secure, wealthy, and powerful. It also felt no real obligation to save anyone outside its borders or interfere with the oppression of Blacks throughout the world. In some ways, this is eerily similar to the way many Blacks in Africa and in the diaspora see African Americans. Like Wakandans in their defense bubble, African Americans may know very little of the conditions experienced by other Black peoples. With access to wealth and power, shouldn’t African Americans do more for the liberation of oppressed Black peoples around the world? African Americans tend to feel more American than African, and they feel like they have a completely separate culture and set of beliefs than other members of the diaspora.
What if Killmonger had won and Black people around the world were able to liberate themselves? Then what? Despite a similar history and experiences, the lack of homogeneity amongst Black populations makes Killmonger’s Pan-African vision difficult. Would they all migrate to one place? Would Wakanda accept Black people from across the globe into their separate world? If Blacks across the globe were willing to adopt Wakanda’s norms and principles for the promise of security, would that be enough to establish unity? If united, Black peoples, both in the movie and in reality, would be an undeniable, dominant global force. Thus, it is in their best interest to unify.
T’Challa’s action of throwing money into building a center in Oakland at the end of the movie is not the answer, however. We can understand Killmonger’s frustration. Wakanda and T’Challa could do much more. They literally have the wealth and technology to completely rebuild and revitalize the entire community, but choose the route of building a community center instead.
Our current reality may be that Blacks are collectively better off with both Killmonger and T’Challa together. Killmonger represents realism, while T’Challa represents the liberal ideal. Blacks need Killmonger’s global perspective and passion for justice and liberation, but they also need T’Challa’s idealistic vision.
Notes
1 1. Karen Mingst, Heather Elko McKibben, and Ivan M. Arreguín-Toft, Essentials of International Relations, 8th ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2019), 60.
2 2. Guy Martin, African Political Thought (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).
3 3. Martin, 58.
4 4. Mingst et al., 169.
5 5. Mingst et al., 171.
6 6. Mingst et al., 233.
7 7. Mingst et al., 234.
8 8. Mingst et al., 57.
9 9. Martin, 55.
10 10. Martin, 60.
11 11. Martin, 65.
12 12. Godfrey O. Ozumba and Elijah O. John eds., African Political Philosophy (London: lulu.com, 2017), 57.
13 13. Ozumba and John, 57.
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