S6 Ep. 9: With the Ancestors: Buki Papillon on African Folklore and Wakanda Forever

fiction/non/fiction

Buki Papillon, inaugural winner of the Maya Angelou Book Award in fiction, joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss African folklore’s impact on popular culture. They talk about how the newly released blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever draws on the myths, histories, and languages of many African nations, including the tradition of calling to ancestors for guidance. Papillon, who was born in Nigeria, also reads from her prize-winning debut novel, An Ordinary Wonder, and discusses how she included folklore, proverbs, and deities from the Yoruba pantheon in the story, which follows an intersex protagonist seeking to claim her identity.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Buki Papillon

• An Ordinary Wonder

Others:

• “With 'Wakanda Forever,' African Folklore’s Influence on Pop Culture Is Finally Getting Overdue Recognition” by Elizabeth Agyemang
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
• African trickster myths
• “Meet the African goddess at the center of Beyoncé’s Black is King” by Constance Grady
• “The 'Black Panther' Revolution: How Chadwick Boseman and Ryan Coogler created the most radical superhero movie of all time” by Josh Eells
• “How ‘The Woman King’ makes Hollywood history with an incredible true story” by Sonaiya Kelley
• The Maya Angelou Book Award
• ILGA
• InterACT Advocates
• intersex Nigeria
• Marlon James and Daniel José Older: Against Genre Snobbery (Season 1, Episode 17)

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