Talk:Dark of the Sun

African troops nationality

The African troops aren't Congolese but from the province of Katanga, which is one of the politics behind the story. Any objections to changing it?

Being as Katanga's independence failed, wouldn't that be as confusing as not referring to Confederate soldiers in the US civil war as "Americans?" Evil Tim 12:05, 20 April 2012 (CDT)

Maybe the best variant will be "Congolese (Katanga)"?I think that topicstarter is right, and the soldiers must be called Katanga, not Congolese. It was my mistake. Greg-Z 13:32, 20 April 2012 (CDT)

Probably the best approach would be for someone to write an introduction that explains what the captions are talking about when they mention Katanga, since it's a pretty obscure state to just namedrop without context. Evil Tim 13:59, 20 April 2012 (CDT)

I'm pretty sure the story is actually set during the Simba Rebellion(1964-1965), which occurred after the Katanga separatists were crushed. The original descriptions are then correct since the mercenaries would have been working with Congolese government troops. --Markit 17:14, 20 April 2012 (CDT)

Yes it takes place during the Simba Rebellion.--Jcordell 18:46, 20 April 2012 (CDT)

It does take place during the Simba Rebellion but they've blurred the lines a bit by making the UN an enemy. I'm sure there was a sign at the army camp saying something like "Striker Blue Force, Army of Katanga", i know the President is based on Katanga's Moise Tshombe again confusing matters. At the time of the Simba rebellion the Army of the Republic of the Congo (ANC) was in disaray and it was pretty much down to those Katanganese troops trained by the white Mercenaries to put up the fight. These troops considered themselves as Katanganese and never as Congolese, but like whats been said they were working for the Congolese goverment who'd appointed Tshombe president in an attempt to unite the country. Back to the story, the story starts in Katanga's capital Elizabethville. The UN is supposedly still in Katanga to enforce the peace and stop anymore break aways. The town of Port Reprieve is on Lake Tanganyika again Katanga provence. Confusing? i simply don't know which would be the correct answer.--The Mercenary 13:21, 22 April 2012 (CDT)

Yeah, but there was no state called Katanga after 1963, so they'd be Congolese in a rebellion in 1964. Maybe the troops wouldn't have considered themselves as such, but it doesn't matter; it was no longer really possible to be Katangan / Katangese / whatever. Evil Tim 13:34, 22 April 2012 (CDT)

Today I've read the novel Dark of the Sun by Wilbur Smith, which is the base for the movie. The story in the novel takes place before 1963, the main characters are serving in the Katanga army, and the rebels are not Simbas but the Baluba tribe. The movie takes place after 1964, during the Simba Rebellion when the former Katanga forces were independent units of new Congo army (most known among them are Mike Hoare's Commando 5 and Jean Schramme's Commando 6). The "Blue Force" in the movie is also the unit of former Katanga soldiers, who now on the Congo service. So let's make a decision at last and call them Congolese. Greg-Z 14:03, 22 April 2012 (CDT)

I think thats a fair enough point to have it left as Congolese troops.--The Mercenary 13:22, 24 April 2012 (CDT)