Monday, September 6, 2010

Politics in "Black Panther" Animated Series

I think the reason why the Black Panther animated series will not be broadcasted in the United States is  because it is "too controversial". Mustn't let black children think about history and culture and how empires were built in Africa and North America.You may or may not be aware of the Black Panther animated series that was supposed to be on BET in 2009 from a collaboration between Marvel Animation and BET. IT didn't happen but the show was shown in Australia (no idea why?) in 2010. What happened was that the shows were supposed to be available on iTunes. However it was pulled from there as well. So why ? Why won't they just broadcast it on  TV or make it available over the Internet or DVD? I think the answer may be found in the clip below. Recall that the Black Panther is king over a fictional sovereign nation, Wakanda. This clip sets up a flashback of what happened to his father who was assassinated to gain power of Wakanda. The scene shows the Black Panther's father, King T'Chaka, interacting with other nations at an international  economic summit.



Watch Politics in "Black Panther" in Animation  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Look at what T'Chaka says about the greed and acts of the western patterns. This is true. I think that stance against racism is unavoidable. It wasn't just that Wakanda was disliked they were hated because of their technology, ethics, and the fact that they are black. In real life we see this same reaction. Recall, the 2008 Presidential Election? People did not know how to relate to Obama, because like T'Chaka, he didn't meet the ideas of what a Black man should be like in their minds. I think that the telling the storjavascript:void(0)y in fiction also bring up what really happened in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and even today. The metaphor could be extended to black celebrities and how they become embroiled in scandals with white women. There is a lot there that could lead to much discussion and debate. But it seems like the powers that be in control over what get distributed is not ready for such discussions initiated by black artists like Denys Cowan, and Reggie Hudlin. It's sad to me. I've seen the whole series and anyone who hasn't is really missing something. For all I know, maybe Disney pulled the plug. I've been looking for an official announcement and have not found one yet explaining the situation.
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