Did you know that Black Panther movie used an old Nigerian language called Nsibidi?

 

You might call it a reflected glory but yes, we are pleasantly surprised by the revelation from the makers of the hugely successful Black Panther movie.

 

So, while Wakanda was only a fictional country, its language was not. Black Panther’s production designer, Hannah Beachler, speaking with IndieWire, said that she based written language used in the movie on Nsibidi, an old forgotten language that was once used in Nigeria (southeastern). The second Africa language used in the movie is IsiXhosa, which was also the second spoken language in the movie.

 

Marvel Studios’ Black PantherPANTHER. Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o).  Photo:  Matt Kennedy..©Marvel Studios 2018

 

The production designer said that only a fragment of the language was available, which she had to update like Roman numerals, to create an entire alphabet. The project took about six months to complete. On using the ancient language to jumpstart the process, Beachler calls it “a process of trying to pay homage to lost languages but also infusing the idea of Afrofuturism of reclaiming languages lost.”

Nsibidi used symbols to represent words and was originally used by secret societies. The language is estimated to have existed from 400 – 1400 CE.

Beachler adds: “the language needed to evolve from the older hieroglyphs into a more modern version. We used it in a pictography way but the numerical system stayed the same.”

 

 

From the streets of Wakanda to Shuri’s lab, the written language appears in almost every part of the movie — with stylistic flourishes unique to each location.

I wanted it to feel grounded so that an audience could look at it the way they look at ‘Star Trek,’” Beachler says. “And what you see in the movie is just scratching the surface of what we created for the whole civilization.”

Phew! Another reason to love Black Panther. Seems like the surprises never ends.

 

For more on the interview, visit the IndieWire website.

 

Photo of author

About The Author

Sidomex

Sidomex-Entertainment

SidomexEntertainment is your one-stop-shop for news, entertainment, fashion, music, sports and lifestyle. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the entertainment industry.

Follow Us
%d bloggers like this: