Haitian Times
www.haitiantimes.com
By Onz Chery
Overview: Marvel’s latest blockbuster “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” contains several scenes that take place in Cap-Haitien and a few minor characters speaking Creole.
CAP-HAITIEN — Haitians in the diaspora were hit with a pleasant surprise while watching Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in theaters worldwide Nov. 11. The fans saw their home country depicted in the film and a few Haitians even speaking Creole in the movie.
“Last night, I was moved to see scenes taking place in Cap-Haitien, to hear Creole, to see references to Toussaint, to 1804, a good reminder for us Haitians,” Soucaneau Gabriel, a journalist based in France, tweeted. “The film Black Panther gives a very nice nod to Haiti.”
The Marvel Studios movie contains scenes in Haiti and other authentic depictions, such as a tap-tap passenger answering “Pa gen pwoblèm” after handing the fare of another passenger to the driver.
There are also aerial shots of Cap-Haitien that were taken by a Cap-Haitien native from a drone.
“It’s my passion bringing positivity over my flag,” the drone operator, Mozart Louis, tweeted. “It’s my friends sending me screenshots of my name in the Wakanda Forever credits. It’s my hometown and my culture represented worldwide. From Ayiti to the world.”
The first Black Panther film came out in 2018, starring Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the prince-turned-king of Wakanda, a Black nation that houses the universe’s mighty vibranium. After Boseman passed away in August 2020, T’Challa’s sister Shuri, played by Leiticia Wright, replaced him as the main character.
In this sequel, the film traces Wright’s journey from wiz scientist to leader extraordinaire of Wakanda. The film ends in Haiti, with a Marveleque reveal.
“Very emotional to watch Wakanda Forever,” Claude Joseph, Haiti’s former prime Minister tweeted, in a message filled with spoilers. “Interesting to see how [Haiti] is at the center of that movie. Wakanda is that [Haiti] we dream of, the one built at the dimension of its glorious history.”
