Mobile manufacture Infinix held a special red-carpet event for the new Marvel Studios film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the Century Cinemax Sarit Centre.
This was a major event which had a large group of talent, filmmakers and press on hand for the red carpet rollout. The sequel to the $1.348 billion grossing original film is set to play across multiple screens in the country starting Friday.
In attendance on Wednesday were Lupita Nyong’o’s parents, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o who is the Governor of Kisumu County was accompanied by his wife Dorothy Nyong’o and some family members.
Lupita’s parents were the attraction of the night as they mingled and took pictures with fans before the screening started.
At one point, the governor show cased his moves as the crowd cheered him on.
The film follows the death in 2020 of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa, the Black Panther in the original movie, released in 2018.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pulls off a difficult dive after Chadwick Boseman’s death.
With the introduction of new anti-hero Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the king of underwater kingdom Talokan, who breaches Wakanda’s defenses while the country is still grieving the loss of T’Challa, Wakanda Forever presents another mythical and powerful nation, — this time with roots in Mayan culture.
It expands on that, weaving in a Latin American perspective with a similar degree of cultural specificity in the introduction of the Aztec-inspired antagonist Namor, king of the ancient underwater world of Talokan.
At the same time, Boseman’s death is poignantly filtered into the story from the start, beginning with off-screen death throes.
Wakanda Forever, grappling in the aftermath of loss, ultimately seeks something rare in the battle-ready superhero landscape.
The 2018 film was one of the highest grossing films in Africa, with audiences responding favourably to the kingdom of Wakanda, which represented an amalgam of African countries and cultures and an ideology of an Africa many would like to see.
Lupita, who plays Wakandan spy Nakia, told in an interview during the film premiere in Nigeria last week said that she hopes global audiences will connect with the diversity showcased in the movie.
“There is power in a diverse human experience,” she said. “I think it’s always good to be able to relate to people who do not look like you and to see your humanity in them. Our diversity is our strength as human beings.”
The exclusive Nairobi premiere was tagged as the official East African premiere targeting media, influencers, Infinix users and its partners.
“We are very excited for this partnership and we look forward to a successful event. Black Panther is an inspiration to everyone in Africa to merge culture and technology that is why we are proud to be a part of this amazing experience. With this remarkable art, I hope a new movement of future generations led by culture and tech can strongly emerge” said Infinix country brand manager Mike Zhang during the premier event.
Black Panther which was first released in 2018 is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
