Wakandacon Wants To Make Black Panther's World A Reality

CHICAGO, IL — Billed as a way to emulate the advanced society found in the Marvel comics and movies starring Black Panther, Wakandacon is a new festival in Chicago designed to establish "a positive and supportive space for black people," where they can celebrate pop culture, video games, politics and other topics. The inaugural three-day event — it gets its name after the fictional African nation Wakanda, which is ruled by T'Challa, a.k.a. the Black Panther — runs from Friday, Aug. 3, to Sunday, Aug. 5, at the Hilton Downtown Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave.

"We wanted to figure out how to re-create Wakanda in real life," states the website for the festival, which is characterized as an "inclusive" event. "We imagined a place free and unshackled from the ravages of racism; of exploitation; of discrimination; of emotional, physical, and sexual violence. With that in mind, we hope to create a space for people of all types to come together, educate each other, and celebrate all of our passions. It's an event where we can dress up, dance, connect, support each other, and celebrate the entire diaspora looking past the present and into our future."

Wakandacon focuses on seven areas that reflect different aspects of Black Panther's fictional world: creativity (the River Tribe), education (the Mining Tribe), technology (the Panther Tribe), outreach (the Border Tribe), Afro-futurism (the Jabari) and feminism (the Dora Milaje). Panels will explore those topics and feature artists, performers, filmmakers, video game designers and other experts in those related fields.

Not only does the event get its inspiration from Black Panther's fictional world, but Wakandacon also will include an actor and stuntman from the 2018 film. Oak Park's Mark Willis played a Jabari warrior and provided stunts for the movie, and he will host a stunt and fight choreography workshop at 5 p.m. Friday.

Other notable people making appearances or attending panels include:

• actress Erika Alexander ("Living Single," "Bosch," "Get Out")
• actress and producer Anita Nicole Brown ("The Gag Date," "Pieces of David")
• actress, writer and singer Cynda Williams ("One False Move," "Mo' Better Blues," "Pieces of David")
• journalist and novelist Jesse Hamilton ("Black Panther: Who Is The Black Panther?")

Wakandacon: The Basics

When: 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5. Registration is an hour before programming.

Where: Hilton Downtown Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave.

Cost: Weekend badges are $35 (plus a $4.01 ticketing fee). They can be purchased online until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1. Badges can be purchased at the door beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Badges online can be bought at Eventbrite.

Along with entrance to Wakandacon, the badge gives access to the event's digital archive, which will be activated after the festival ends. Digital passes can be bought until 11:59 p.m. Aug. 31.

More Info: Go to Wakandacon's website for details and full schedule of panels.

Image via Wakandacon