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Wakanda Forever

I wonder what it is abut superheroes that captivate every kid and adult alike. Is it because of how they provide fodder for our imagination? It it because they appeal to our innate sense of justice and our desire to fight for it? Or is it because they provide a reprieve from the monotony and routine of human existence? 

I am sure at some level everyone of us starts imagining ourselves to be in those same shoes or donning that very cape or arming ourselves with that super cool gadget. Though all of us have our favourites when it comes to choosing these heroes, for whatever reasons they may be. Mine was Batman for a long time, not simply because I was so impressed by Nolan's Dark Night Trilogy and its soundtrack (oh its so important!), but because Batman was human just like the rest of us. In other words he was the most relatable among the bunch.

And then they released Black Panther. There he was the dark suited superhero played back Chadwick Boseman, a character exuding more coolness than Snoop Dogg, more calmness than Kimi Raikkonen, carrying more burden than Batman and packing a greater punch than Mohammad Ali. Most importantly, there he was, dark skinned, just like me. In a world where most narratives are written around the success of the fairer skin and skin products are geared towards lightening darker ones (Yes, fuck you Fair and Lovely), Black Panther showed that being dark, could be awesome too. And that is more of the kind of narratives we need to start writing.

#ripchadwickboseman

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