Chadwick Boseman. Picture: Supplied
By Yolanda Mhlungu
I have never been much of a movie or a TV person, but as a young black the death of Hollywood actor Chadwick Boseman feels like a terribly unfair loss to black culture which inspires black excellence.
He has been described as a fighter and leader by millions of fans who have taken to social media to pay their tribute to the fallen star since his passing last week at home in Los Angeles with his wife Taylor Simone Ledward and his family by his side.
There was a time in my life I would have had to kill myself if I wrote a tribute about an American simply because I felt, and still feel, over the years we have been brainwashed to look down on everything produced by our own as Africans while we marvel and remain cheerleaders for stars abroad. Through a little bit more exposure I have come to learn the struggle of a black man in America is the same, if not a bit more brutal, then the struggle of a black man in Africa.
The first time I saw Boseman he had a captivating aura which was obvious even on TV screens. And though he had acted in many films it was his 2018 role as T’Challa king of Wakanda in Black Panther which he will be most remembered for.
Blank Panther became one the highest-grossing films this year and Boseman won numerous awards including an MTV accolade; TV awards: best performance in a movie in 2018 as well a Screen Actors Guild Award.
I recall how excited we all were about Black Panther and the fact that IsiXhosa was chosen as the official language for the movie. It was as if our ancestors were affirming us not only as a Xhosa or Nguni nation but as Africans at large that the world was watching us and we matter. We are kings.
Boseman was 43 when he died. He was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago and had been battling with it since then. Considered by those who knew him as a private person, he had never discussed his diagnosis in public.
His death came as a shock to millions across the world. What has been so inspiring about his life is that it appears it was during his most trying time that he gave the world his best performance in front of the camera.
Political figures including former US president Barack Obama, fellow colleagues in the arts and society at large have all posted their tributes sharing how he had touched their lives through his brilliant performances or interactions with them.
His role in Black Panther inspired both young and old. Some have said he was the chosen one to embody black heroes of the past and gave us more for the future.
Some have said ancestors spoke through him.
One thing is clear that through his work and portrayal of superheroes, he empowered many black minds who have been subjected for years to stereotypes of black people on the screen. It is true that when one educates a man he empowers a man, but when one educates a black man he empowers the whole village.
Whether one remembers him as Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, T’Challa or for his latest role as “Stormin” Norman in the Netflix war drama Da 5 Bloods released on June 12, it is clear Boseman has left a legacy which is unparalleled.
Mhlungu is a student and activist. She works closely with the Unemployed People’s Movement in the Eastern Cape.
The Star