A U.S. Government Website Had Wakanda Listed as a Trading Partner
Wakanda really is forever, guys.
As any fan of Marvel’s Black Panther can tell you, the African nation of Wakanda is the most technologically advanced countries on the planet. Although it has largely kept to itself throughout history, it contains enormous natural and scientific resources. Any fan of Black Panther can also tell you that Wakanda is a fictional place, invented by Marvel Comics. But it sure looks like someone working in the U.S. Government thought it was real.
Francis Tseng, a Jain Family Institute fellow, noticed yesterday that the United States Department of Agriculture listed Wakanda as a free trade partner of our country:
The site even contained a lengthy spreadsheet listing all the various items traded with the great Wakandan people, like “live purebred breeding horses.” (No war rhinos, though.):
So what the heck happened here? A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture told NBC News that “over the past few weeks, the Foreign Agricultural Service staff who maintain the Tariff Tracker have been using test files to ensure that the system is running properly. The Wakanda information should have been removed after testing and has now been taken down.” Once it was pointed out by members of the media, the USDA did remove Wakanda from the trading partner website. But where will the United States get its vibranium now?!?
Black Panther 2 is scheduled to open in theaters on May 6, 2022.
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