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Atlanta Airport . @ATLairport The bags are packed #WakandaForever 3 ATL 1234 Wakanda 7:30 pm

Wakanda isn't real. It's a fictional country created by two white men in the late 1960s. April. @ReignOfApril #ProTip: Block anyone who tells you #Wakanda isn't real. They are literally trying to steal your joy. These are the same people who believe in Aslan, Modor, Tatooine, Westoros, Krypton... you get the idea. GIF Wakanda forever!

Hollywood Palms Cinema @HollywoodPalms A note of apology to the people who complained about our #BlackPanther posts, saying "Wakanda isn't real": Earlier we received some negative feedback to posts highlighting the fantastic world of BLACK PANTHER, saying "Welcome to Wakanda". These complaints stressed to us that Wakanda is not real Hollywood Palms apologizes for the error. We did not wish to give the false impression that Wakanda, a country with bulletproof suits that fit in small containers, flying cars, and gender equality was a real place We would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to any Sokovian refugees, citizens of Kamar-Taj, or visitors from far-off Asgard who may have been offended

KT NELSON H COOL DA4@KrangTNelson FOZZY BEAR: hey hey, Waka Wak- BEN SHAPIRO (pounding on the door): WAKANDA ISN'T REAL

Ian Miles Cheong @stillgray Wakanda isn't real, people Black Panther's Mythical Home May Not Be So Mythical After 5 tcretchingem moders-day South Alrficn into Zimbabwe, Moabigae and Zambla, the kinom of Matape thrived from the early 140os to about o Mutapa traded extensively within i w berders, bst the kinglonm abe Blaxk Pascher hant h heters in the USyet, bat 's already breakisg reoceds Acording to more ticket enr Pandanga Sack Panther xki mon pre ol' en Archanological escasations hae uncovered Chinese porelain, Iadian beads, and Part lth in the Mutaps ngin Thats mpecially impresive Set lite vilus," says r AngeloNarinide, ofthe Urnesty ofSouth Afriュ Chiefs raled st eech of these levels ander the supreme uthority of the kis itsfirst 24 hours than any othee uperhero moe Te peo ecn hoilder? CainAmeice: Ciut War,whichjut happens to be the Marvel movie is which the ack Panther charer made his debut Molape in sot on a jor iver r oceen that would give it satural adventage for traesport iefrastrctre Through bostling local baraces and strategle partnerhips with Porug trademalong the Mutape wans able to ackieve unper leied trade against al odds ue about three Lke se nany other kingdoms that believed in the dwr that ma*んnhert" pop culture force tobereckened with. thet their leaders were placed in positloes of authority by the enshir," sys №etlaides. The orul tradition tells ua that they wmiminiaacotral worship to largr etest, and the peuple believed that the kings had a wry od reatonship with the spirtwod charatter's backstory Black Panther's real name s TChals, and he's the king of the Africen mation of During the heut of itstrading boon. Mutapo ”nedmartyeslininable ats the world. Wukandis ended by wtearium,"a miteal deposited by dhiefs coverting to Christinnity, and feeeeful tkuvers of soanoen and traling otonsby Portig ese _ tonne afew. By the mid-doos, the Mutpe he a staggeringly effective trade Hlack Pancher's powers (enshasced senses, speed healing and lafinite knowledge are derined fr i aniicing the Avengers in Now Yarke completing his doctorste at Cafond (he's busy guyl Black Paither worls tiredessly so protect his kiagdo theur military might and great di tatm,'mrs Edward In th,erminE works, miliens ofmoninpers will tchSlack Pither try to sm Wakande from meeting the ame fobe,Amidst all the sperpowess and special economie soccess through local, regional and isbernational trade region that inaplined ack Panther's beloved bomelaad:I think the Muapa There are diferent heeeis about the real-lie impiraticn for Wakands T-Nehid Coes, who asthored s neboot of the Blbck Panther come serie ngimed his in this pat for The Atlant 's w heie, Bat ántorChadwick Bose wbo playa Black Panther ocreen,told The Now Yoa Wekanda is a Exctilonal version of "the Matage empire of sth-eatry Wisona Di Eiger is monaging edtar eay.om Her seniting ab They had f very rich goid in the vallay to the est of madern day Harare i·Zishabwn," says Nkolids The king naintined owsershipofaZ mo in Mlutapa, the ect locatos o hich were kept secret under penalty af Cuntry Living Buzfeed and the TD Talks BlegReach Neruonse Se how dees the mythical Wakande compare to the real-Ife Mutape

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About

Wakanda Isn't Real refers to a series of jokes and responses to the popularity of the Marvel superhero film Black Panther. Online, some people have taken issue with the popularity of the film and the fictional country of Wakanda, where the film is set, and respond to these complaints with the phrase "Wakanda isn't real." However, the phrase has also been used to mock that response and perceived hyperbolic response to a fantasy location.

Origin

On February 9th, 2018, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro responded to an editorial in the New York Times about Wakanda, the fictional country in the film Black Panther, on Twitter.^[1] The purpose of the piece is to discuss the meaning of Wakanda in the context of art and society as it is a fictional African nation that has not been colonized. Ben Shapiro's responded to the article, "Wakanda isn't real." The post (shown below) received more than 3,400 retweets and 13,000 likes.

Ben Shapiro . @benshapiro Wakanda does not exist. The New York Times @nytimes Part of the emotional and visual appeal of "Black Panther" lies in the fact that Wakanda has never been colonized nyti.ms/2FZFcCe

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Four days later, Ben Shapiro discussed Black Panther on his show, The Ben Shapiro Show.^[2] In the show, he discussed the interpretations and meanings of Wakanda in the context of the comic book and film. Specifically, Shapiro takes offense to Wakanda being a utopian symbol for an African country without colonization. During the show, he says, "Sorry to break it to you, folks, but Wakanda is not a real place." Since being uploaded to YouTube, the video (shown below) has been viewed more than 260,000 times.

Following Shapiro's rant, other conservative commentators joined Shapiro in responding to cultural and literary analysis of Wakanda with "Wakanda isn't real." On February 14th, Daily Caller journalist Ian Miles Cheong retweeted^[3] a piece from National Public Radio about the influennces for Wakanda and responded with "Wakanda isn't real, people." The post (shown below, left) received more than 60 retweets and 360 likes in seven days.

On February 16th, the Hollywood Palms Cinema posted^[4] an apology to people who complained about their Black Panther posts. The apology made a joke of the outrage against the country and its technology. The post (shown below, center) received more than 5,900 retweets and 14,000 likes in five days.

Others, however, mocked Shapiro's rant against the fictional country. On February 18th, Twitter^[5] user @KrangTNelson tweeted, "FOZZY BEAR: hey hey, Waka Wak- / BEN SHAPIRO (pounding on the door): WAKANDA ISN’T REAL." The post (shown below, center) received more than 1,100 retweets and 8,300 likes in three days.

On February 20th, Redditor ^[7] quizzicalquow posted in the /r/OutOfTheLoop subreddit "Whats the deal with the 'Wakanda isn't real' memes?" The post received more than 480 points (90% upvoted) in 24 hours.

The following day, the Atlanta Airport Twitter^[6] account posted a picture of a terminal "scheduling" flights to Wakanda. The post (shown below) received more than 13,000 retweets and 30,000 likes in two days.

Search Interest

External References

^[1] Twitter – @benshapiro's Tweet

^[2] YouTube – Making Wakanda Great Again

^[3] Twitter – @stillgray's Tweet

^[4] Twitter – @HollywoodPalms' Tweet

^[5] Twitter – @KrangTNelson's Tweet

^[6] Twitter – @ATLairport's Tweet

^[7] Reddit – Whats the deal with the "Wakanda isn't real" memes?

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Wakanda Isn't Real