After the untimely death of the lead actor, Chadwick Boseman, the “Black Panther” series bittersweetly rebounded, with its second installment grossing over $855 million. Not everyone enjoyed the movie, however, as French Defense Minister Sébastienn Lecornu disagreed with the portrayal of the French military.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” features a subplot in which many of the world’s developed nations try to steal the resources of Wakanda, a fabricated African country. France is one of these nations, and in the movie goes so far as to launch a covert attack on one of Wakanda’s research labs.
Lecornu took offense to this portrayal of France, calling it “false” and “misleading,” but the social commentary that the movie attempted to make clearly went over his head.
Senior Riley Asselin is an avid fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and believes that social commentary plays an integral role in today’s media. “Sometimes it’s a character or it’s the entire plot. It’s interesting to see and it gets you thinking,” states Asselin in response to Lecornu’s statements.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” did well to make commentary in this way, as France’s colonization of the African continent dates back to the 17th century. One of the most well-known elements of this colonization is the infamous Scramble for Africa, an event in which the European superpowers of the day rapidly colonized previously untouched parts of Africa beginning in 1880.
As the film reflects, many resources were stolen from Africa, but these resources were gold, ivory, diamonds, oil and rubber rather than vibranium. Pleasant Valley Humanities professor Dr. Lynne Lundberg recognizes this unfortunate reality. “French colonization, all colonization I daresay, is pure exploitation,” Lundberg states succinctly.
Lecornu continued his invective, citing the 58 French soldiers who died in Mali. While the sacrifice of these brave soldiers is to be greatly appreciated, the question of whether or not they should’ve been there in the first place must be considered.
France’s military forces were in Mali for nine years at the request of Mali’s government in 2013. However, an inability to understand the nuance of the conflict in Mali led to French soldiers worsening the conflict. French generals have been quoted as seeing the nation of Mali like “a little brother,” bringing to mind the patronizing ideals that led to French colonization of Africa in the first place.
It is almost certain that the French military meant well when entering Mali. The goal of conflict resolution seemed paramount, and still does. However, the idea that all global conflicts can be solved with more force is juvenile and archaic.
One of France’s most infamous stories of colonization lies with Haiti. Although it is not in Africa, Haiti has suffered greatly at the hands of France. When the small Caribbean nation won its freedom from France through rebellion, it outlawed slavery. Because of this, both the United States and France forced Haiti to repay France for the value of the slave labor France had lost.
The payments kept the new nation from being able to start from a position of economic possibility. Haiti’s current poverty, as well as the political instability that has plagued the people, are a direct result of the actions of powerful nations that siphoned resources and money away from people who could least afford it,” Lundberg says.
Ultimately, Lecornu’s tone-deaf outbursts are just another grain of salt tossed in the bloody gash that colonization has torn in many exploited countries throughout the world. It’s easy for someone who experiences none of the colonialism’s consequences to whine from afar about criticism of a country whose success is built on blood. Until a concerted effort is made to not only recognize, but reverse the legacy of French colonization, the injustice will stand.
As always, the tree remembers, but the ax forgets.
