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Wakanda Lives Within Us

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One of the places in Virginia that I consider my Wakanda

Wakanda is a mystical, fictional, un-colonized small nation in equatorial Africa. Depicted as a third world country, this beautiful place was surrounded by Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Although technologically advanced, there is a message in this movie. This place of beauty has weighed heavily on mind since seeing The Black Panther.

If you have seen the Black Panther movie, the clouds open up to a village. This colorful village brings utopian beauty to the big screen. What would our natural green spaces look like if left untouched? In most countries, people use the weekend to escape the City. Heading to the beaches or mountains we long for a place of peace. Whether it is the sound of water dancing or trickling from a hidden spring, the reason for escaping is real. The sound of the wind causing the leaves to rustle and create a subtle song, brings peace to those who listen. When you think about it, escaping the woods or water is a modern-day escape to Wakanda.

Why is Wakanda fictional?  Is it so hard to imagine a self sustainable existence? This fictional place called Wakanda actually could exist in each of us. We have the ability to recreate a personal version of Wakanda.  Here at a few ideas that I thought of to create Wakanda in your life:

  1. Grow Your Own Green space. Whether you create a garden for lush, visual beauty or for your health by growing an edible’s, growing your own is beneficial. Growing and eating seasonally, as well as supplementing from the market when necessary, means you have a hand in your overall well-being.
  2. Embrace the great outdoors. This fictional place had a thriving technological existence. If you paid attention, the scenes throughout pictured people at the marketplace talking and laughing with each other. I did not notice anyone on a cellphone or a tablet. The Wakandan’s were walking, talking and engaging with each other. Recognizing the benefits of technology, disengaging from it once in a while could enable us to create our own Wakanda.

This mystical, beautiful place was considered a third world farming community by other advanced communities.  Perhaps there are some third world countries that hold the secrets to a Wakandan existence.

Wakanda lives in each of us, however we must take the time to find it.

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Inner Gardening with Black Panther

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A Red Carpet event after viewing the Black Panther was awesome. I ran into old friends and made new acquaintances. Delicious food, awesome vendors and an opportunity to have great conversation about the movie.

Long overdue, the movie ” Black Panther” was a delight to see. Recalling the tidbit of a preview shared at Blogalicious last year, I knew I wanted to see this movie. What I did not realize at the time, was how much the messaging would resonate to the world as we know it today.

It was refreshing to have a VIP event from a notable organization – Sisters4Sisters sponsor an after party for a purpose. The purpose was to send their group of girls S4S Daughter’s of Destiny to camp this summer.

I eat, breathe and sleep gardening. Seeing the beautiful land called Wakanda simply took my breath away. Fiction can always make mediocre things look phenomenal. Wakanda, however was not mediocre at all. It was a self-sustaining community that had not been colonized. Considered a small, backwards farming community, Wakanda was not on the radar of the outside world. This was the blessing that sustained its beauty. From the lush forests, mountains, magnificent waterfalls and beautiful people, Wakanda was naturally a beautiful land. The rituals that took place in the water to the beautiful heart-shaped plants, Wakanda was genuinely a place to dream about.

When Erik Killmonger became a force to be reckoned with, one of the first things he did was destroy life. Erik ordered the destruction of the heart-shaped plants that caressed

the vibranium. This heart-shaped plant was a herb that when properly prepared, allowed only those of royal blood to partake. Drinking this herbal concoction, allowed the person to transition and get advice from the ancestors who had passed on. It also provided strength to the recipient for the return journey back to earth.

In today’s world, as development razes older communities or breaks new ground, one of the first acts is removal of vegetation. Stripping the gifts of Mother Nature, to start with a clean slate. Is it replaced? Minimally, in most cases. The symbolism of this act in the Black Panther movie has stuck with me. When change presents itself, why is it easier to get rid of the unfamiliar?

What about integrating the old into new concepts? I could easily compare this to preparing pots for a new season. Should we dump all of the soil out and start with nothing ? Is it possible to mix in a little fresh soil to enhance the old? Is the old soil totally lifeless…or can it be revived?

All of the imagery was not positive. Just like in the garden, if you leave behind diseased foliage, it will cause problems in the garden. Killmonger was left behind by his uncle, which led him to feel unloved and unwanted. We must stop leaving behind things to haunt our existence as we plant seeds of positivity in our life gardens. Usually there is a way, preferably organic, to address and catch negativity before it becomes a problem.

There was other messaging such as the ability for this community to thrive, without outside influence. There were beautiful fabrics, wonderful market scenes and honestly, the people appeared to be happy.

There was even the opportunity to have a make up artist decorate your face in authentic markings of strong female warriors.

The messaging in the Black Panther movie was subliminal, but caught up with the viewer after the show. The conversations about the Black Panther will continue for some time.

I had to pull out my black and  authentic fabric with the triangles carefully placed. After all, the messaging was key. On this night, I was Royalty.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I will see it again. I must say, it was quite refreshing to see a movie depicting Africa Americans with a positive ending and a willingness to share. We can create our own version of Wakanda by planting seeds of love, knowledge, prosperity, and by making sure that no one is left behind as we pursue success in this world.

Wakanda Forever…if only in my dreams…

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