The release of Marvel Studio's Black Panther was heralded by rave reviews and met with record-breaking box office sales. The film, rich in Afrofuturistic design and visuals, has inspired hashtags like #WakandaForever — which moviegoers have used to show off garb that pays homage to not only the film, but Afrofuturism, as well as the continent's history and culture.
As our movie reviewer wrote, "The fictional, fantastical Wakanda is also a harsh condemnation of reality: Imagine if Africa hadn’t been subjected to brutal colonialism, its resources and even its people stolen and exploited for the profit of others. How much have we lost? How much human potential has been squandered?"
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We may never know the answer to that question, but the film gives us a chance to celebrate the beauty of African culture — which is exactly what the people behind Jerk X Jollof do at the pop-ups that take place intermittently throughout the Motor City.
In their own words, Jerk X Jollof is an African and Caribbean culture, cuisine, and nightlife experience, and it's welcoming to anyone who wants to respectfully enjoy the food and music these regions have inspired.
This Friday, Jerk X Jollof is happening at El Club, and this special edition will include a Black Panther-inspired costume contest, which will give attendees a chance to don not only cosplay costumes influenced by the film but their own Afrofuturistic threads and makeup.
A winner, selected some time during the party, will go home with an "exclusive prize," but everyone will get to enjoy "Afrobeats, soca, and dancehall cuts blended with modern popular classics," plus African and Caribbean-influenced food — so really, no one is going home a loser.
All this happens on Friday, Feb. 23 starting at 8 p.m. For more info and to buy tickets, go here.
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