Words by Offspring Community member Daniel Flemming @danielonepiece
Chadwick Boseman’s sudden death was a massive shock to everyone. His role in the first Black Panther really cemented himself in many minds, mine included. He was a true role model and modern-day superhero; on and off screen his absence has truly been felt. This has made the mythology of the Black Panther even more special as it can now never be surpassed, such was his dedication and interpretation of the role.
I’m sure that generations to come will be able to see how inspirational, influential and powerful the character was and use that as a catalyst in their own lives to achieve greatness.
The Black Panther ‘Wakanda Forever’ premiere housed many influential people from a wide range of backgrounds and professions. TikTok star Khaby Lame, rappers Lethal Bizzle, Stormzy and Dave, tailor Ozwald Boateng just to name a few. It was a surreal moment being surrounded by so many successful people of colour in one space as the opposite is usually the case, where we are under-represented the higher up the ladder you look.
Seeing them all together in one room to celebrate Chadwick’s legacy truly felt special. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to have a long conversation with anyone, but I did tell Khaby that he was killing it and he was very humble with his thanks (in between all the selfies he was taking with fans, he's genuinely such a nice guy).
Black Panther has championed African culture in a new way as media tends to show Africa as still poor and somewhat dependent on the Western world for support and collaboration.
Whereas in the film it’s made clear right from the start that Wakanda is self-sufficient, does not need outside interference, very proud of their culture, heritage and traditions and they don't need to pander to the needs of anyone else to fit in. Having such a strong cast of colours too can only help to inspire the generations to follow that they can fulfil their dreams without compromising on their ideas, values and dreams.
Within the film industry it would be great to see more diversity in roles that are given to people of colour as I feel that within certain genres, we are still typecast to be these one-dimensional gangster/urban/loud character and it does get annoying seeing these negative stereotypes constantly reinforced without giving more depth and layers to them. London does have a lot to offer but I also think that because it’s so diverse, sometimes the same tropes do get repeated while other places get overlooked.
I would like to see different stories from other places as being black is not a monolith and we all have different tastes, likes and references. To see some niche representation would be massive!
I must admit that the current crop of UK stars is fantastic and have truly broken the mould as to what people expect so much that they are seen to be on par or sometimes even above their American counterparts! We are making moves with the scene celebrating black culture with regards to events such as the GRM Gala and MOBOs but as our entertainment industry is relatively new, there is still a lot of space for more of these celebrations of culture and I look forward to seeing what comes forth in the coming years.
The Black Panther films have inspired me to be myself and to not worry too much about other people’s opinions because if you are true to yourself and do good by others, you can positively impact and change people’s lives just by being your authentic self. It has also shown me that coming together is always better than going it alone as there definitely is strength in numbers and that unity really does make a big difference.
There are some parallels between the film and sneaker industry in the sense that the bigger businesses are starting to take notice of and take chances on smaller creatives. People of colour are starting to elevate within these industries which is great to see as representation matters. This will allow for more stories to be told and expressed, which can only be a positive thing. Saying this, there are many heroes that reside in London that I would love to champion, these include: Karl Lokko, Geoffrey Lam, Ediz Salih, Rouell Dawkins, my Mum and me!
Check out more from Daniel on Instagram @danielonepiece
