French Min. slams Wakanda Forever over depicting troops as colonizers
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The French defense minister was infuriated by a scene from the film depicting French mercenaries being apprehended after stealing resources from the fictitious African kingdom of Wakanda.
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French soldiers secure the area at the entrance of Gao, northern Mali, on Feb. 10, 2013 (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
France's Defense Minister was infuriated by Marvel Studios' film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for their vilified representation of French soldiers, citing the complicated and sensitive status of the country’s military presence in Africa.
“I firmly condemn this false and deceptive representation of our armed forces,” Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu tweeted on Sunday
Je condamne fermement cette représentation mensongère et trompeuse de nos forces Armées.
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) February 12, 2023
Je pense et rends hommage aux 58 soldats français qui sont morts en défendant le Mali à sa demande face aux groupes terroristes islamistes. https://t.co/KpnFIcatPt
A scene from the film depicted French mercenaries being apprehended for stealing resources from the fictitious African kingdom of Wakanda.
A journalist pointed out the uncanny resemblance between the uniforms of the actors and that of the soldiers of France's Operation Barkhane in Mali, triggering the minister's reply.
French military Presence in Africa
President Emmanuel Macron had promised to reinvigorate France's military commitment to African security, despite the fact that Operation Barkhane troops had been forced out of Mali by the country's military government in favor of Russian private military contractors.
French forces entered Mali in 2013 under the pretext of fighting al Qaeda-linked militants to protect the capital, Bamako. They remained as conflict erupted across the country in the Sahel area.
La production Marvel/Disney a pris soin d’équiper les “mercenaires parachutistes parlant français” (sic scénario) avec des tenues portées par nos soldats au Mali. Ceux qui tiennent le rôle des méchants sont ainsi habillés comme nos militaires des opérations Serval/Barkhane. pic.twitter.com/vyyRI02xTJ
— Jean Bexon (@jean_bexon) February 11, 2023
Black Panther
Wakanda Forever is the sequel to the 2018 Black Panther movie as part of the extended Marvel Cinematic Universe. Black Panther was a watershed movie for the MCU marking the first big-buster superhero movie featuring a predominantly Black cast. The movie made around $1.4 billion worldwide. The movie sheds light on peculiar topics like racism, African culture, and resource pillaging.
