ABSTRACT
The 2018 blockbuster Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler and based on a Marvel comic, was hailed as a breakthrough superhero film because of its representation of Black and African characters. Some historical, fictional and mythological examples of the power, independence and influence of groups of women draw attention to the fact that women’s identities are not only dependent on the formation of the self, or in relation to a male partner. Female solidarity has been at the heart of many feminist movements, with an emphasis on women’s friendships based in principles of equality rather than the inequalities evident in patriarchal heteronormative – heteropatriarchal – structures. Feminism has evolved from the notion of a global “sisterhood” to a privileging of solidarity as main uniting principle. Positive and more diverse media representations of African issues include depictions of African women who are increasingly taking up leadership positions in areas where they have historically been excluded from power.
