The depiction of French soldiers as trying to steal ‘vibranium’ from the fictional African nation of Wakanda has prompted fury from the country’s armed forces minister.
Sébastien Lecornu, France’s Armed Forces Minister, has strongly condemned Disney’s latest Black Panther film, Wakanda Forever, for its “false and misleading” depiction of the country’s troops.
In the film released late last year, the soldiers reportedly attempt to raid an outpost in Mali which is controlled by Wakanda, a fictional and highly technologically developed African nation.
Je condamne fermement cette représentation mensongère et trompeuse de nos forces Armées.
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
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) February 12, 2023
However, the troops’ bid to secure ‘vibranium’ is ultimately thwarted by the fictional African state’s sci-fi forces, who defeat the gun-wielding troops before hauling them in front of the United Nations in a stunt seemingly aimed at embarrassing the fictionalised French government.
Such a political manoeuvre appears to have enjoyed a real-world success, with the not-at-all-fictional government minister Lecornu expressing anger at the uncharitable depiction of his country and his soldiers.
Lecornu said of the film: “I strongly condemn this misleading and misleading representation of our Armed Forces… I think and pay tribute to the 58 French soldiers who died defending Mali at its request against Islamist terrorist groups.”
The costumes the French soldiers are depicted as wearing, it is claimed, are very specifically accurate French uniforms from recent history. Indeed, POLITICO reports the captured soldiers are dressed identically to troops France had deployed in Mali in order to fight Islamic extremists in the region back in 2013.
Although initially invited to the region by the Mali government itself, the intervention quickly became unpopular in the country, with France ultimately choosing to withdraw last year.
Although the French government do not seem to be a major fan of the film, others have been keen to heap praise on the marvel superhero movie. The film — a sequel to the first Black Panther movie starring the now-deceased Chadwick Boseman — received 12 NAACP Image Awards nominations only last month, including most outstanding motion picture and most outstanding actress in a motion picture.
“That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer,” Michaela Coel said of her "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" role. “I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana.” https://t.co/xO5pHNqRcA
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) October 10, 2022
