Here’s the full context of his statement:
“Steven Caple Jr., the director of Jordan’s next film, Creed II, calls this moment of black solidarity in Hollywood a ‘movement.’ During the filming last March, Jordan and Caple often talked about black historical figures whose stories might make a great movie or TV series, like Fred Hampton, the Black Panther who was murdered in his apartment in 1969, or Mansa Musa, a Malian historical figure of the 14th century known to many African-Americans but virtually unknown to white people. Musa was reputedly one of the richest men in the world. ‘When people look at black people it’s hard for them to think beyond slavery,’ says Caple.
“’We don’t have any mythology, black mythology, or folklore,’ Jordan explains to me as we cruise past billboards for Atlanta and HBO’s Ballers in West Hollywood. DJ Khaled’s ‘I’m the One’ is on the car stereo, and I notice Jordan’s iPhone alias is ‘Bruce Leroy,’ the black martial-arts hero of the 1985 film The Last Dragon. ‘Creating our own mythology is very important because it helps dream,” says Jordan. “You help people dream.’”
Source
Context. I’m assuming he meant we don’t have any Black mythology/folklore in TV and films. It’s half true. There have been movies made, but it’s only a very small handful. Films like Eve’s Bayou, Daughters of the Dust, and Beloved (an adaptation of Toni Morrison’s book of the same name) quickly come to mind that contain folkloric/mythological elements.
The way the writer for Vanity Fair left his statement lingering and didn’t ask further questions so he could fully flesh out his thoughts without leaving one to guess what he was referring to since the mention of popular tv show billboards followed his statement is failed journalism. White journalism. TF we need to know about what was on the radio and his phone in that moment?!…
Here’s some further readings about Black folklore / mythology:
The tweet that mentions the film, To Sleep With Anger, here’s the full thread. Insightful and very detailed.
If you have access to the J-Stor —> A 22-page article called “New York Afro-Puerto Rican and Afro-Dominican Roots Music: Liberation Mythologies and Overlapping Diasporas”
10 African and African American Folktales for Children
List of books on Myths, Legends, and Folklore of African-Americans (Goodreads)
Voodou Mythology: The Voodoo Spirits of Haiti & the Caribbean
The Origin of Zombies and More: “Zombie folklore has been around for centuries in Haiti, possibly originating in the 17th century when West African slaves were brought in to work on Haiti’s sugar cane plantations. Brutal conditions left the slaves longing for freedom. According to some reports, the life—or rather afterlife—of a zombie represented the horrific plight of slavery.” (Source: www.history.com)
“The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies”: The horror-movie trope owes its heritage to Haitian slaves, who imagined being imprisoned in their bodies forever. (Source: The Atlantic)
List of African Mythological Figures (wikipedia)
Caribbean Mythology (wikipedia)
From My People: 400 Years of African American Folklore: An Anthology (Book)
Collection of books on Mythology and Folklore of the African Diaspora (Barnes & Nobles)
“An Exploration of African Folktales Among the Gullah Community of the South Carolina Sea Islands: History, Culture, and Identity” (a 198 page pdf)
Journey into the Spiritual World of Voodoo in New Orleans
African American Folklore
“River Mumma and the Golden Table” (A Jamaican Folktale)
Anansi is an Akan folktale character. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories. He is also one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. (wikipedia)
A Boo Hag is a mythical creature in the folklore of Gullah culture. It is a regionalized version of the Hag myth. According to the legend, Boo Hags are similar to vampires. (wikipedia)
“Santería in a Globalized World: A Study in AfroCuban Folkloric Music” (a 38 page pdf)
