The sequel to the 2018 Black Panther film held its Africa premiere in Lagos, Nigeria, over the weekend. In attendance were the film’s director and co-writer Ryan Coogler, cast members Lupita Nyong'o, Dania Gurira, Letitia Wright, and Winston Duke, and Tenoch Huerta Mejia, the film's antagonist. Speaking on the significance of the Lagos premiere, actor Nyong’o said: "This continent inspired this film... so the fact that we’re bringing it here, to celebrate it with the people who very much inspired it is monumental.” “It’s as significant as it gets, to have an official premiere on the continent, in a major African city. I’m African-American, I tie my ancestry to this region of the continent, so it means a lot to come back,” Coogler said.
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The film tells of the Wakandas fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers and a new formidable threat in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. The soundtrack album, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was released on 4 November by Roc Nation Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Hollywood Records. It features a host of Nigerian artists including Burna Boy, Ckay, Fireboy DML, Rema, Tems, Tobe Nwigwe, and Fat Nwigwe, as well as other African acts.
The already-released single Lift Me Up by Rihanna and co-written by Tems came in at number one on Billboard’s relaunched Hot Trending Songs chart. The first Black Panther remains the number one film in both East and West Africa, premiering on the continent in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018.
