A New Map of Wakanda -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II

A brief take on how Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Black Panther run introduced a Wakanda map, deepening its world-building and legacy.

Script by Howard Rambsy II
Read by Kassandra Timm

Transcript

On July 27, 2016, Marvel published Black Panther #4, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, drawn by Brian Stelfreeze, and colored by Laura Martin. On the surface, it seemed like a typical comic book issue.

But in retrospect, a small element tucked near the end of issue #4—and in subsequent issues—deserves special attention: a new map of Wakanda.

You’re listening to Remarkable Receptions—a podcast about popular and critical responses to African American artistic productions and more.  

During his time on Black Panther, Coates aimed to make Wakanda a more fully realized place in the minds of readers. He achieved this by introducing a wide range of characters, exploring diverse settings within Wakanda, and ultimately producing a map to give readers a concrete sense of the locales he depicted.

On April 22, 2016, Coates shared a version of the new map on his blog, crafted using Photoshop.

“This isn’t much of a map,” Coates admitted, “But it has the basics down in terms of where Wakanda exists in the world and what’s around it.”

Coates situated Wakanda in East Africa, along the western coast of Lake Victoria, which he referred to as Nyanza. In his rendering, Wakanda was bordered by Marvel’s fictive nations—Mohanda to the north, Canaaan to the west, Azania to the southwest, and Niganda to the southeast.

Coates acknowledged that his Photoshop map was more of a rough draft. Starting with issue #4 of Black Panther, a more refined map by designer Manny Mederos appeared in the back pages.

Coates’s map moved beyond his run on Black Panther. It was included in other comic books related to Wakanda, and updated versions surfaced in various Marvel publications. The extended circulation of Coates’s Wakanda map had a remarkable reception.

******************************************
This episode was written by Howard Rambsy. The episode was edited by Elizabeth Cali.

******************************************
This podcast, Remarkable Receptions, is part of the Black Literature Network, a joint project from African American literary studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas. The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.  For more information, visit blacklitnetwork.org.