THE IGBO STORY IN THE MOVIE BLACK PANTER

THE IGBO STORY IN THE MOVIE BLACK PANTER

In the movie The Black Panther, Erik Killmonger wore a very distinctive mask that he had taken from the British Museum. Additionally, Killmonger uttered the most famous words of the movie when he said, “just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships because they knew that death was better than bondage”. There is a deep connection between those words and the mask that Killmonger wore.

The mask of Killmonger is from the Igbo people who are from Eastern Nigeria.

In May of 1803, a significant event took place known as the Igbo Landing. After crossing the Middle Passage, a slave ship arrived in Georgia with a cargo of slaves. 75 of those people were Igbo people and they were sold for roughly $100 each. They were then transferred to another ship to be moved to their destination. Once upon the new ship, the Igbo people rebelled. During the rebellion, the Igbo people killed their captors and took control of the ship. With no way of returning home and facing the likelihood of being recaptured into slavery, the Igbo people agreed to commit suicide…together. They all jumped into the ocean and drowned.

This is what Killmonger was referring to when he said, “just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships because they knew that death was better than bondage”.