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Chadwick Boseman Explains The Development of Wakanda In Black Panther


Most of the characters (except Andy Serkis' Ulysses Klaue ) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe know very little about the real Wakanda where T'challa's from, but according to Chadwick Boseman, the country's a utopia untouched by colonialism and slavery.

Sitting down to speak with Cnet about Black Panther, Boseman decided to open up about the process the creative team went through to create a version of Wakanda both loyal to its original source material and the reality of society today.

"People think about how race has affected the world. It's not just in the States. Colonialism is the cousin of slavery. Colonialism in Africa would have it that, in order to be a ruler, his education comes from Europe. I wanted to be completely sure that we didn't convey that idea because that would be counter to everything that Wakanda is about. It's supposed to be the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. If it's supposed to not have been conquered — which means that advancement has happened without colonialism tainting it, poisoning the well of it, without stopping it or disrupting it — then there's no way he would speak with a European accent.

While the sad reality is that most of Africa's been colonialized or neo-colonialized at some point in the past, it's empowering to hear about a place like Wakanda where the country's been able to develop on its own, untouched by Western forces, even if that place is fictional.

We can't wait to see more of Wakanda on the big screen when Black Panther premieres on Feb. 16, 2017.

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