Wakanda – a fictional South African nation from the Marvel Cinematic Universe – was apparently listed as a proper US free trade partner on an official government website till 18 Dec.
Wakanda’s industry of choice? Cattle-breeding and a smidgen of potato & chestnut farming it seems.
And here we thought the real Wakanda was located in Malaysia — home to the most number of black panthers in the world.
Although the selection choice has now been removed, here’s how the hilarious blooper – discovered by an eagle-eyed netizen – occurred.
On Wednesday (18 Dec), a netizen randomly noticed that Wakanda was part of a drop-down menu on an official American agriculture tax website.
Listed under countries like Peru, Panama & Korea, Wakanda was apparently a ‘Free Trade’ partner of the USA, just like them.
You’re probably wondering what the advanced – and extremely fictional – nation of Wakanda would have to offer America?
Most Marvel fans would tell you high-tech vibranium weapons, massive spaceships or sustainable fuel would be high on that list.
But the reality of the listing was much more mundane.
The netizen uploaded a second picture of an Excel sheet with columns detailing what animals Wakanda traded, here’s a non-exhaustive list:
Although no armoured rhinos were listed, The Guardian reports that Wakanda was also home to potato & chestnut farmers.
So how exactly did Wakanda become a legitimate trading partner of America?
A cheeky programmer had forgotten to take down the listing after the initial testing phase, explained the agency’s spokesperson to NBC News.
Sadly, Singapore won’t be able to get in touch with Wakanda to order a shipment of heart-shaped herbs to imbue our soldiers with “the strength of the Black Panther” anytime soon.
Time to turn our sights towards our friendly neighbours in Malaysia again then.
While we await the sequel to the wildly successful Marvel origin film scheduled for a May 2022 release, which country do you think resembles a real-life Wakanda most?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Also read:
Featured image adapted from PlusPNG, TheMediaOnline & Variety.
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