I’ll explore the technologically advanced world of Wakanda in five sections: the meteorite that started it all, how vibranium could work, their interactive holograms, how realistic is isolationism, and the film’s portrayal of scientists.
Because I’ve been on TV shows about astronomy that are shown internationally, I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited all over the world to talk about astronomy. The enthusiasm I’ve encountered from young people about science is breathtaking. SciFest drew 60,000+ school kids over several days from all over Africa. Another science festival in Saudi Arabia drew 200,000 people, over just one week. The young people in particular are just rabid to do science, and it is about equally divided between boys and girls. As anybody who’d ever talked to an elementary school class about planets or dinosaurs knows, young kids just think science is amazing and their natural enthusiasm for it is contagious. But then something tragic happens as they get older. Some of the older girls think it isn’t for them. A lack of role models plays a role. Even though some of the African kids I talked to had a world class observatory and astronomers in their community, they just didn’t see themselves as scientist because that wasn’t the message the media (often American media) had shown them. But there are also darker forces at work — active oppression. In Saudi Arabia, the girls’ science fair projects were kept hidden from all men. Women had to go to separate universities where the science subjects they want to study aren’t offered. Many were threatened by the religious police for even talking to me about science. And yet, many risked being thrown in jail to do just that. It makes me tear up every time I think about it.
This is why Wakanda being shown as world leaders in science is so important. And it is why Shuri is now my favorite character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What a performance by Letitia Wright! She sounded convincing with the technical jargon, while still being able to convey humanity and humor. White men have been vastly overrepresented as scientists in comic books and cinema. But here’s a character who can go toe to toe with Reed Richards, Tony Stark, or Bruce Banner, and is someone Africans, African-Americans, and girls all over the world can see themselves in. Science is already a global enterprise, but it is still biased from a gender and cultural perspective. The more new voices we can inspire and bring into the fold will improve science worldwide. And that improves everyone’s lives, whether it is through new discoveries, or by increasing science literacy. In that sense, Black Panther isn’t just escapist entertainment, it is a turning point. These things matter — I was inspired to be an astronomer after seeing Star Wars as a kid. There are millions of Shuris out there today who just got permission to change the world.
