Black Panther’s afrofuturistic world building

sapiarch:

• How about the aesthetic of Afrofuturism? How do you find the balance between the traditional and science-fiction?
  It’s drawing on the rich traditions of the diaspora. It’s one of those things where … For me, Afrofuturism really was the bridge between the mythology, the art, the politics, the science of Africa and of the culture and the sci-fi. I’m always in this transformative place with everything as far as how it evolves (Hannah Beachler in an interview)

The 2018 Marvel movie Black Panther is set in the fictional country of Wakanda (possibly inspired by the kingdom of Mutapa), the richest nation on Earth thanks to the technological advancements enabled by Vibranium, a meteoric metal with many properties, among which the ability to store and release energy. The world building, mainly from the mind of production designer Hannah Beachler, features a stunning afrofuturist aesthetics (we already spoke about afrofuturism on this blog). On vimeo you can find a behind the scenes talk with her, and here’s Wired short article on the world building. In this post we are going through different elements that compose this fictional universe, and their real-life sources of inspiration.

Language 

Wakandan presents two main scripts, an ancient version (see on the pillars of the throne room above) and a modern version (see chart below). The ancient version is inspired by Nsibidi system of symbols used by the secret society Ekpe, the Bamum script  (as seen on W’Kabi’s wrap) and the Akindra symbols (a history), which are used as charms and narrative proverbs (Shuri, T’Challa’s sister and head scientist, is wearing a shirt with the akindra wawa aba, meaning toughness, perseverance. Here you can find more). Modern wakandan is instead inspired by Tifinagh and the ancient South Arabian script, or Sabaean (you can download the font if you like). 

The main African language spoken in the movie is Xhosa, a Bantu language with distinctive click sounds, one of the 11 official languages in South Africa, widely spoken in Zimbabwe and native language of Nelson Mandela. 

If you are interested in African scripts, check this TED talk by Saki Mafundikwa, author of Afrikan Alphabets: https://www.ted.com/talks/saki_mafundikwa_ingenuity_and_elegance_in_ancient_african_alphabets. Have a look also at other scripts of Africa.

Architecture

Architecture has been inspired by Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-British architect whose creations display a biomimetic and organic design. Traditional African architecture is also visible, such as that of Timbutku, Mali, and which has also sparked discussion about the future of African architecture. 

Interior design was inspired by Italian designer Carlo Bugatti’s furniture. Check out also alternative design studies for the different settings by Andrew Leung.

Costumes

The design of costumes was developed by designer Ruth Carter, who directed a big group of other artists and designers who created the textiles, the jewels and so on. Inspiration came from all over Africa: Basotho’s cloths from Lesotho, Masai from Kenya and Tanzania, Tuareg from Algeria, Mali and Niger, Himba from Namibia,  Mursi from Ethiopia, Igbo from Nigeria, and many others. Check comparative collages from this article. You can find an in-depth interview about her design here, while the NY Times analyzed different items of clothing and their inspiration, not least Black Panther’s suit, which displays a triangular pattern, the “sacred geometry fo Africa”.