Black Panther has changed the perception of people about Africa: Lupita Nyong’o

• The movie is set in the fictitious African nation of Wakanda.
• It was the first superhero film distributed by Disney-owned Marvel to include a primarily Black cast.
• ‘Black Panther’ was the highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada in 2018.

Stars of the highly anticipated sequel to Marvel’s “Black Panther” walked the red carpet at the London premiere of “Wakanda Forever.”

The 2018 release of the film, which is set in the fictitious African nation of Wakanda, was heralded as a milestone for racial diversity in Hollywood.

It was the first superhero film distributed by Disney-owned Marvel to include a primarily Black cast.

The Marvel movie had a beneficial effect on the perceptions of the continent among cast members of Wakanda Forever.

“Embracing the diversity that is African culture has resulted in other people embracing their indigenous cultures as well,” said Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o, who plays one of the key parts in the film “Nakia.”

“We are celebrating our culture, we are celebrating where we are from in a way that is extremely inclusive,” she said.

With $1.3 billion in ticket sales, “Black Panther” was the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada and the second-highest worldwide in 2018.

“I would have needed that movie as a child because there are not so many role models,” said Florence Kasumba, the film’s star, at the premiere on Thursday evening.

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According to Ayodeji Aiyesimoju, a lecturer in media studies at Nigeria’s Joseph Ayo Babalola University, the film represented a turning point in Black history and disproved some misconceptions about Africa.

“It opened conversations for questions. People were genuinely interested in knowing about the continent,” he said in an interview.

But African film industries could do more to capitalize on the potential, he said, adding that he would like to see more Black actors in Hollywood and more relationships between large U.S. and British studios and nations such as Ghana and Nigeria.

Others were not as optimistic.

According to a member of the Nigerian film business, “Black Panther” was yet another Western attempt to profit off their idealized picture of Africa at the expense of the African film industry.

“But you have to understand that it was Africa that impacted Black Panther,” said Danai Gurira, a Zimbabwean-born American actress who portrays the character “Okoye” in both films.

“The role I play was all about looking at what Africa was and bringing (that) into the world.”

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