With enlightened leadership, we could own and be Wakanda

Besides the box office success, Black Panther has become a colossal cultural phenomenon with Kenya in a central role. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • I came across a YouTube video pushing the tale that the Kikuyu people are the real Wakanda.

  • And maps in the movie and Marvel comic books place the mythical Wakanda Kingdom somewhere in close proximity.

  • We agreed to disagree but, in President Kenyatta’s buy local campaign, I see nothing has changed in that mind-set.

I took a rare excursion to the cinema last week. Black Panther was pure unadulterated fun.

As with all movies of such genre, you have to suspend belief and take in the action, while your hands absent-mindedly commute between your mouth and a giant tub of popcorn.

My small entourage enjoyed itself thoroughly before trudging out to the drudgery of real life.

That would have been the end of the matter but, a few days later, I came across a YouTube video pushing the tale that the Kikuyu people are the real Wakanda.

The video, uploaded by a fellow calling himself Ambassador Prince Michael, generated vigorous chatter on social media over its contestable claims: River Nile originating from Mt Kenya; parallels drawn with ancient Kikuyu rituals and the vibranium metal and secret herbs used to ‘empower’ Black Panther; references to supernatural powers amongst the Kikuyu supposedly employed in the construction of pyramids.

KIKUYU SUPREMACISTS

Some were aghast at such spurious claims. Others wondered as to the motives: Perpetuation, maybe, of the narrative of Kikuyu supremacists and their claim to divine right to Kenyan leadership and resources?

I preferred to take it all with a pinch of salt and enjoy the video just like I did Black Panther — or James Bond, Bruce Lee, Star Wars and any other cinematic fantasy.

But then, I got to thinking that maybe Ambassador Prince ‘Whatever’ was on to something. We could claim and own Wakanda, but beyond narrow ethnic lenses. 

Besides the box office success, Black Panther has become a colossal cultural phenomenon with Kenya in a central role.

Our own Lupita Nyong’o plays Nakia, who, on a mission to South Korea, introduces King T’Challa, the Black Panther, as a friend from Nairobi. Many of the colourful African outfits and artefacts are pure Kenyan. 

And maps in the movie and Marvel comic books place the mythical Wakanda Kingdom somewhere in close proximity. 

Yes, Wakanda could be Kenya. How many transplanted Africans in the United States, South America, the Caribbean and Europe would want to make the pilgrimage to these mythical roots?

I can bet our clueless envoys in Washington, London, Paris, Brasilia, Brussels and elsewhere, together with all those outfits tasked with marketing and promoting Kenya for investment and tourism, have given little thought to leveraging on the success of Black Panther.

WEALTHIEST CONTINENT

The movie also has a core message: A technology power in the middle of Africa seems like pure fantasy till we remember the fact that Africa is not poor. It is the wealthiest continent but with the poorest people.

It has the richest leaders — Uhuru  Kenyatta, Joseph Kabila, Obiang Nguema, King Mswati, Eduardo dos Santos, Paul Biya etc — who keep their subjects in poverty, ignorance and servitude.

Have we ever asked in Kenya where all the wealth from the mountains of Niobium and Titanium goes while the people around those invaluable resources live in absolute poverty?

Will proceeds from Turkana oil reduce Kenya to another Congo, Angola or Equatorial Guinea, where leaders collude with foreigners to strip the land dry while brutally suppressing and impoverishing their people?

President Kenyatta says his focus is on rapid industrialisation and promotion of local products but the ‘Buy Kenyan, Build Kenya’ campaign remains hollow.

Many years ago, on another forum, I accused showman-industrialist Chris Kirubi of hypocrisy when he campaigned for Kenyans to dress in locally made clothes while he was in imported labels down to his underwear.

He called me in for chat and tried to explain that he saw no contradiction because he could afford to dress in the best designer labels, unlike ordinary Kenyans.

BUY LOCAL CAMPAIGN

We agreed to disagree but, in President Kenyatta’s buy local campaign, I see nothing has changed in that mind-set.

Wouldn’t it be a profound statement if the President used his Kenyan-designed Mobius as the ceremonial ride of the Commander-in-Chief? It would also be a game changer for the motor industry if the government decided that it buys only locally assembled vehicles.

And visitors to State House, Cabinet offices and our diplomatic missions abroad could be served properly brewed premium Kenyan tea and coffee instead of those tea bags and instant coffees imported from London and other places that do not grow a single leaf or bean.

Small steps, rather than empty promises, are what will free Kenya to realise its true potential.

 

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