Killmonger - The Subtly of a Scene? (Black Panther - 2018)
Above is concept art of the prolific museum scene that was featured in Black Panther (2018). While the illustration is fairly on par with what actually happened in the movie, a fundamental difference - and focal point of this piece - is the choice attire N’Jadaka (aka Killmonger) chose to wear in it. While the art depicts him in a suit the actual movie had him adorned in what I like to call “Trillmonger”.
While I can’t help but respect the vast oceans of drip that are flowing from this regalia, I truly felt as if the message the scene was parlaying would have been more impactful if he had been profiled while wearing the suit.
When I voiced this opinion to a fellow constituent - who continues to impress and influence me with his insightful wisdom and perspective on life, particularly when it comes to Afro-centric media - he, strongly disagreed with my remark.
He, summarily, stated that Killmonger’s persona of unapologetically Black would and should extend to refusal to conform to a norm put forth by systemically racist and thus inherently Eurocentric ideas of what looks "professional". To which many agreed; I however did not. I took umbrage with the notion in several aspects and while the interpretation was valid, it was not sound in my eyes based on the below analysis of the diction and semantics that’s been highlighted in the first sentence of this paragraph.
“Unapologetically Black” – I didn’t think wearing a suit at all took away from him being unapologetically Black, even with his radically pragmatic sentiments. For me, as Black man, unapologetically Black is not simply an aesthetic – it’s who you are; what’s cardinal to your core. It cannot be taken away and or hidden. Killmonger wearing a suit as opposed to what he actually wore would not have taken away him being unapologetically Black – if anything, it would have added to it BECAUSE of how the security and curator would still have profiled him; even with the suit, he’s still Black in their eyes - and Black is a threat. This particularly rings true when you take into account his CIA training and knowledge of how to best cultivate and usurp the resident power in question. This, aggregated together, adds to the scene and what it was meant to represent. He wanted all eyes on him and whether he was in a suit or dripped out, it was going to happen regardless BECAUSE at the end of the day, he’s Black – unapologetically speaking. Granted, my cohort tried to differentiate the two scenes by pointing out that the clothes that were worn in South Korea were for the purposes of blending into the casino environment; particularly when it came to the wig that Okoye wore, much to her chagrin. He continued with, the fact that both Nakia and T'Challa “were people who often have to conform to their surroundings to blend in, to help others, or to be taken seriously as the world still thinks Wakanda is some podunk farm country” (slight disagreement here as, up until the end of Black Panther, the idea was to keep up the facade of being a podunk country as if the world, at large, were to know what Wakanda had, they would never stop trying to steal it). He concluded this strain of logic by contrasting Killmonger and Okoye; “Okoye who is wearing a wig that falls in line with Eurocentric beauty standards and is the opposite of the very Wakandan armor and bald head she's used to wearing day to day. She is not a diplomat, she is a warrior for her people. Killmonger is not a diplomat, he's a revolutionary for his people.”
Once again, I found this to be valid but not sound. T’Challa, Nakia, and Okoye, wore those clothes in South Korea to blend into their environment to get into a specific place for their MISSION. Even Okoye, who is proud Wakadan warrior was willing to wear the garb of colonizers in order to carry out said mission. However, for some reason, it didn’t occur to him that the same could have rung true for N'jadaka. Even if the suit was conformist, is it that hard to believe that the very person willing to team up with Klaue, who committed a TERRORISTIC ACT, killing his fellow Wakandans - for a time in order to obtain his access to Wakanda; moreover, his arguable birth right to the throne - would be unwilling to put on a suit if it meant getting closer to his mission AND birth right? “Conform” – Wearing a suit is not conforming to a Eurocentric understanding of professional. For me, that utterance simply follies at nigh every conceivable angle. I asked him, if the suit – in this particular scene – is to be a representation of Eurocentric ideology of professionalism does the logic follow that N’Jadaka’s clothes are the aesthetic of Black American exceptionalism (I used Black American but, Killmonger, himself, is actually African American; yes, there is a difference between the two - nonetheless his garb seems to emulate Black American style)?
Moreover, if we extend the idea to the rest of the movie, specifically when T’Challa is wearing a Black suit – along with Okoye’s and Nakia’s red and green dresses, respectively (creating the colors of Pan-Africanism, unapologetically) is that still a representation of them conforming?
Besides, even if one were to accept the notion that wearing the suit was conforming to the Eurocentric value, by that same logic, when T’Challa addresses the UN and is unapologetically wearing a scarf of clearly African influence, he is thusly, either showing a dominance of his African roots (as the scarf is literally draped over the Eurocentric representative) and or an integration of cultures.
To this inquiry, he summarily responded that because T’Challa is a diplomat first, him wearing the combo of the suit and scarf was symbolic of seeking integration - as it is in line with his persona. This response seemed incomplete as it failed to address the fact that the scarf over-encompasses the “Eurocentric” symbol and therefore could be seen as African excellence dominating the Euro view...
He continued with the argument that: “For all the profiling Killmonger would've experienced in a suit he'd still likely would've experienced less. ‘Professional’ clothing makes [W]hite people, especially in high places, feel safe. It's why house servants were put in tuxedos. If the goal was to have all eyes on him then he should've stuck out like a sore thumb. Which he did.”
Once more, this is semantics with an addition to the playing of the scene; depending on how you define unapologetically Black - via skin being the center point or skin and clothes fitting the interpretation - significantly affects how you view the degree to which he was profiled. However, the true nail in the coffin, comes later on when we see one of the members of the Council - River Tribe Elder and Nakia’s Father - wearing a suit not only during Killmonger’s fight with T’Challa but also prior when he is with the other council members.
I suppose HE was just conforming to the “Eurocentric” understanding of professionalism, right...? In terms of my Black American exceptionalism through line he responded with: “His clothing shouldn't mean or imply ‘African American exceptionalism’; that's as conformist as a suit. It's supposed to imply ‘I don't give a fuck’ it's supposed to be rebellious. He's not there to make anybody comfortable.” This response was a bit comical to me. I replied with; “You can’t have it both ways – if the suit, in your mind, was to be a representation of a certain cultural aspect then his actual clothes could and should also be taken to represent a different aspect of a cultural perspective.” It’s as simple as that; if you open the door, don’t be surprised when people peer inside.
This hilarity rang true even further with his final line of; “Finally, yes, you're right a suit doesn't inherently make you more or less unapologetically Black. However we’re talking about a movie, where what you see is as important as the dialogue that your characters say. It's a cinematic decision to have every piece of his character not only be unapologetically [B]lack and the opposite of T'Challa on every level. It's not nearly as effective piece of art if he's wearing a suit. Supported by the countless people who posted about how he rolled up in a museum looking like a drench god.”
These last sentences are foolhardy; for one, we’ll never know how people feel about the suit when compared to the drip clothes because the suit scene was and probably will never be shown - if it exists. So, there’s nothing to compare and contrast it with. For two, a consensus of people in agreement does not automatically beget validation; it could just mean that they are wrong in mass unison.
Despite the disagreement, there’s definitely more than a few lessons and perspective one can attain from this back and forth; moreover, it shows just how poignant an impression Black Panther left on its audience - all, with the just the subtly of a scene.
