Abstract

MNTUNGWA, Melusi. The Invisibilities of an Afrofuturistic utopia - the erasure of Black queer bodies in Black Panther. IT [online]. 2022, n.36, pp.1-21. ISSN 2617-3255.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2617-3255/2022/n36a3.

Although Black Panther (Coogler 2018) has been revered as a cultural text that presents an Afrofuturistic way Black people could imagine and see themselves, it is not void of societal prejudices. Such prejudices include the treatment of Black queer people in the film's narrative. Much like the society in which Black queer people find themselves, the kingdom of Wakanda in Black Panther fails to acknowledge and depict their humanity and existence. As such, this article interrogates Black Panther's erasure of Black queer individuals from its plot and narrative. It explores the complicated position that Black queer individuals find themselves in, in a society where they are in constant danger of violent erasure from the public discourse. Drawing on a close reading of the Black Panther's narrative, this article argues that, as a cultural text, Black Panther fails to employ ubuntu in its treatment of all identities. At the core of my reading of Black Panther is a critique of how the Afrofuturistic kingdom of Wakanda as a symbol of affirmative Black identity mirrors the same prejudices of present society by not recognising the existence of Black queer identities, erasing them from reality. I ultimately argue that Black Panther's potential to be reflective and inclusive is not optimally reached.

Keywords : Black Panther; Black queer individuals; Ubuntu; Afrofuturism; Erasure; African society.

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