chadwick boseman on his black panther accent choice: wakanda hasn’t been tainted by colonialism

While the entire Black American community waits patiently for the release of Black Panther next Febuarary, star Chadwick Boseman (42, Get Up) spoke with Cnet about the historical lens through which he approached his portrayal of the king of Wakanda, an advanced African nation that was never conquered by colonialism and white “explorers”.

“People think about how race has affected the world. It’s not just in the States. Colonialism is the cousin of slavery,” Boseman told Cnet. “Colonialism in Africa would have it that, in order to be a ruler, his education comes from Europe. I wanted to be completely sure that we didn’t convey that idea because that would be counter to everything that Wakanda is about. It’s supposed to be the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. If it’s supposed to not have been conquered — which means that advancement has happened without colonialism tainting it, poisoning the well of it, without stopping it or disrupting it — then there’s no way he would speak with a European accent.

If I did that, I would be conveying a white supremacist idea of what being educated is and what being royal or presidential is. Because it’s not just about him running around fighting. He’s the ruler of a nation. And if he’s the ruler of a nation, he has to speak to his people. He has to galvanize his people. And there’s no way I could speak to my people, who have never been conquered by Europeans, with a European voice.” Yes ma’am!

Black Panther hits theaters Feb. 16, 2017.