LESSONS FROM 'BLACK PANTHER'

It has been awesome watching the tangible impact of the fictitious land of Wakanda on the lives of people worldwide. I have  seen African- Americans and people of other races dress in trendy African outfits, heard a lot of discussion centered around this movie and it's projection of Africa. I hope that these possibilities that have come to the fore will be taken in as a call to action, rather than buried after the Black Panther euphoria by us. A lot has been on my mind and the following are are a few thoughts that I came up with after seeing the movie. I hope they will open your eyes as wide as they did mine.





 Wakanda is a figment of the Imagination
Of course we all know this, the idea was birthed, the screen play was written, the cast and crew were hired, they shot the movie, post produced it and gave us Wakanda. It was carefully crafted; so, our existence, our development and everything concerned with our future has to be carefully crafted. As a people we need to be strategic, we cannot have Wakanda in this day by wishful thinking, we have to put in work - analyze our situation properly, use development strategies with all the best minds possible, then we can have the kind of Africa we want to leave our children in. It starts with the little you can do where you are.

Adversity is not the enemy
It has become clear that adversity can actually give you an opportunity to grow. I have grown a great deal through tough times, learning to look for purpose in pain and I know a lot of people who have done the same. Numerous lives have been purified in the fire of adversity, so it is not what has befallen us that matters but what we choose to do with it. I look at places like China, UAE, India  and am amazed with what they have created despite setbacks. We need to realize this fact as a country and as a continent and be the best that we can be.

Deal with the enemy within
There is an Esan adage that says ' the one who is not defeated at home can not be defeated outside'. From the days of colonialism through the Nigerian Civil war till date, there has always been an enemy within. Of course external factors have affected us, but there has always been the internal component that has enabled the negative outcomes in our development. To actually succeed and be the people that we can be, we need to address this component.

Develop what you have
The people of Wakanda did not leave their powers in the raw state. I am always thrilled with the development of movie industries, especially in places like Nigeria and India. If Nollywood and Bollywood can grow to what we have today, I wonder at how much is possible if every sector in African nations had such development over the years. The poverty mindset which exists has to be killed deliberately. Poverty mindset makes people devalue what they have, believing they need something else to be better.

Be Prepared for Challenges
As we grow there will always be new grounds to conquer, but we have to be prepared for them. We cannot keep falling like a pack of cards every time there is a major setback. The exchange rate does not have to drop all the time, issues do not have to throw us into recession easily. We can overcome this, we can plan better and achieve more.

Have a Bargaining Chip
The Jabari's spared T'Challa's life because he spared M'Baku's. We have got a lot, a lot more than many. What we do with what we have, our opportunities, resources and more, is very important. We need to be strategic with our relationships and try to bring something to the table. A lot of countries are investing in Nigeria and lending helping hands to us, but what do we give in return? Do we have what it takes to have a talk, share ideas and actually bargain or are we at the mercy of anyone who offers support. Wakanda developed itself, we are fortunate to receive foreign aid for the development of different aspects of our society. Should we remain dependent for highly important areas? Is it possible that we can do more to repair our own society, to repair our own?

People Associate with Success
People like to associate with success, with positive outcomes. If we focus on what we have and think of how best to develop them, people will be drawn to us. Netflix just bought Genevieve Nnaji's 'Lionheart', she is African;a lot of African designers are flooding international runways and gaining recognition. So like Wakanda, there is the possibility that if we focus on greatness, the calibre of people drawn to us will be better and the terms of negotiation will be better for us. When I see how well our people are doing in different parts of the world, it becomes painful to see the systems and structures that exist in our environment. John Maxwell's statement becomes really apt in describing the situation of our country - "everything rises and falls on leadership". We can all lead though, in our environments, with little steps, and see that little drops of water make a mighty ocean.

Celebrate the Present
While we hope for better days, we do not need to punish ourselves today.  I heard the perfect analogy for this some years back. Someone talked about how bizarre it sounded for a father to tell his children that because he was building a house for the family, food rations would become smaller and they would have to remove all outings and fun stuff from the family budget. If it is difficult to celebrate milestones in hard times, it will also be difficult to celebrate them when things are better; but most importantly, we may not have the strength to achieve better without celebrating today.

We have not reached our full potential, we have not achieved all that we can. The lights seem dim and the future uncertain, but there is hope, hope that we can rise again. When Killmonger took over Wakanda, it seemed all hope was lost, only a tiny glimmer remained till T'Challa returned. Today, we have a tiny glimmer, but we will hold on to hope till we see the light shine bright. Hope you will join me?

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Copyright (C) Omonefe Oisedebamen Eruotor 2018