Coming 2 America makes a reference to the fictional Wakanda of the Black Panther. See how it revealed the biggest problems of the Coming to America sequence.
Coming 2 from America Black Panther the reference highlights its biggest flaw. The film – a sequel to the 1988 comedy Coming to America, who follows Prince Akeem’s search for love in Queens in an attempt to avoid an arranged marriage in his home country, Zamunda – launches a reference to Wakanda, which Eddie Murphy Akeem (now king) confirms to be a fictional place within the world of Coming 2 America. Although Wakanda and Zamunda are fictional African countries, Coming 2 America maintains stereotypes about Africa, a continent that is still treated as a large and homogeneous place, instead of being richly diverse and multifaceted.
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The original film, now more than thirty years old, also included some stereotypes about Africa. While it was wonderful and important to see rich, rather than oppressed, African characters, the gardens of Joffer’s palace consisted of elephants and lions moving as if humans and animals coexisted peacefully. However, most of the action and history took place when Akeem and Semmi, his friend and royal aide, went to Queens. With little more shown by Zamunda than the palace walls, Coming to America it was not as offensive or stereotyped in its description of the African continent as its sequence.
Coming 2 America the stereotypical portrait of Africa worsens due to the fact that the story is set mainly in Zamunda. The royal lifestyle remains as decadent as ever, with Akeem and Semmi still being washed by the royal bathers in the palace, with servants present at any time of the day to take care of all the family’s needs. The palace even has its own hair salon. However, history rarely reveals what is happening beyond the walls of the palace. Meekah, the oldest daughter of Akeem and Lisa, watches the news to keep up, but it is increasingly clear that Zamunda has not made much progress since the first film. Women are prohibited from governing the country and are also unable to do business.
The sequel also features the fictional nation of Nexdoria – yes, this is a game with the words “next door” – a country ruled by General Izzi (Wesley Snipes). The character is basically a warlord who takes all the riches to himself, is very militant and probably treats his people very badly. Nexdoria also leans towards the stereotype that African peoples are all impoverished, which defends the negative way in which the continent has been portrayed in the American media for decades. Zamunda’s representation in Coming to America it worked because it was, at that time, an invigorating view of a continent that had been consistently ignored, labeled or treated with little deference.
However, the sequence leans heavily on stereotypes rather than knocking them down, favoring negative clichés. Black Pantherat the very least, it succeeded in subverting certain ideas, presenting a nation that had tradition, but that used its resources and technology to help the citizens of the country. The film involved characters other than T’Challa, introducing him and his family as members of a larger society. Women also held positions of power and control, while Coming 2 from America gender norms and policies are still sexist (until Akeem finally changes that in the end). Therefore, by mentioning Wakanda, the sequence makes its flaws even more noticeable. To be sure, both films focus on fictionalized African countries, which therefore creates a limited reach. However, the future can be expected to bring the focus to true African nations of creators who understand the area and will not resort to stereotypes to tell stories.
