Читать книгу Black Panther and Philosophy - Группа авторов - Страница 14

After Killmonger throws T’Challa over the waterfall during their ritual combat and assumes power, Wakandan society finds itself torn in two. Nakiya, a Wakandan spy, and Okoye, a member of the Dora Milaje, find themselves at odds about what it means to be loyal to Wakanda. Nakiya asks Okoye to help her overthrow Killmonger “before he becomes too strong.” Okoye will have none of it: “I am loyal to the throne, no matter who sits upon it!” Knowing how important Wakanda’s traditions are to the stability and peace of the nation, she is desperate to protect those traditions. “You serve your country,” she says, and Nakiya replies, “No, I save my country.”

The disagreement between the two women speaks to one of the gravest consequences of revolutions like Killmonger’s. Though each woman loves her country, Killmonger drives a wedge between them over how to best serve Wakanda. To the dutiful Okoye, serving Wakanda means serving a king she despises in the hope that she can maintain order in her country and usher it through a difficult time. To Nakiya, patriotism requires her to fight a man whose rule might be technically legitimate, but who blatantly opposes everything that Wakanda holds sacred. For a time, this means that two close friends find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict.

The wedge drives deeper, however. The Border Tribe happily embraces Wakanda’s new king, aiding him in preparing to wage war on the rest of the world. This leads to Wakandans hurting and killing their own people. As W’Kabi says in a deleted scene, “There will be war and death, but in the end it will be beautiful.” In helping Killmonger, the Border Tribe causes outright civil war – a war that alienates friends, spouses, and countrymen.