Although set in the fictional kingdom of Wakanda, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther incorporated an existing language within its dialogues. Black Panther followed T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the newly crowned king of Wakanda, as his traditional ideologies collided with Killmonger’s (Michael B. Jordan) plans of abandoning the long-standing isolationist policies of their nation. With a Black director and a predominantly Black cast, the superhero epic made history within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, becoming a beacon of representation for African-American narratives. This authenticity even extended to the language used, as, although it would have arguably been easy to create a fictional one, the team behind Black Panther chose to root its language in actual culture and history.
Upon its release in 2018, Black Panther garnered universal acclaim and immense commercial success. Critics and audiences alike praised the film’s characterization, storyline, and performances. Despite being a part of the MCU franchise with a signature yet broken formula, Black Panther stood out with its larger-than-life culturally inspired production design, costume, and music. Not only did the film succeed in delivering another superhero origin story, but it also paved the way for discussing the real-life political issues and colonialism concerning Africa.
In Black Panther, the official language of Wakanda is Xhosa, one of the eleven South African languages. Spoken by at least eight million people as their first language, Xhosa is characterized by its click consonants. The language is historically associated with the century-long South African war against European colonizers. Although the team behind Black Panther opted to use the language for different reasons, this background still makes Xhosa narratively appropriate, respectful, and representative of an actual people.
Black Panther’s director Ryan Coogler chose Xhosa primarily because of John Kani. Not only did he portray T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father and the former king of Wakanda, but he was also a South African native whose first language was Xhosa. Thus, recognizing the actor’s genealogy is critical in the filmmaking process. On the set of Captain America: Civil War, where Kani’s character was first introduced, the veteran actor suggested the use of his mother tongue while talking to T’Challa to maintain the legitimacy of their culture and family relationship. Additionally, Kani and his son Atandwa, who played young T’Chaka, also served as on-set advisors. They assisted Black Panther’s dialect coach, Beth McGuire.
Furthermore, Coogler was inspired by a trip he took to South Africa before shooting his record-breaking movie Black Panther. There, he met and befriended Xhosa-speaking locals whose tribe rituals bore similarities to those of his family. He then wanted to bring those connections back home and exhibit them in his film, adding another layer of representation in the process.
Black Panther employed Xhosa interestingly and practically, and not just for the sake of using an African language. Instead of occasionally including Xhosa phrases, the filmmakers incorporated the language in natural situations, such as two Wakandans discussing a native issue. The actors also took an active part in using Xhosa; their dialect coach encouraged them to create their own idiolects — or individual dialects — by listening repeatedly to different sound samples and finding their own sounds and rhythm. In that way, Black Panther, which might introduce a T’Challa variant in its sequel, acknowledged the importance of historical accuracy, representation, and creativity in producing a superhero epic that would be remembered for generations to come.
