Mercenaries

Marc Grossen, Belgian mercenary in the Congo and later Biafra War in Nigeria in 1967

Those cool, shadowy, bad ass dudes that travel and somehow manage to cause chocs freely everywhere they operate in. Definitely not the old school James Bond. Mercenaries have long been idealized as rough riders or extraordinary berets, French foreign legion, SAS in popular culture for over 50 years. Their involvement in major conflicts in most African countries for the past forty years has been well documented in both print, video and online media. Movies from the 1960s onward beginning with Dark as the Sun to the 1980 The Dogs of War to Lord of War (2005) have continued to romanticize offering little critique of how mercenaries' arms and weapons deals, training of coup plotters, assassins and militia have led to political violence to intractable wars across the world. Now even video games Far Cry to Splinter Cell series (less of a mercenary more of a rogue spy but similar objectives) have continued to keep the mercenary mystique alive. How did the mercenary become legendary? And are these mercenaries just lucky or adventurous as the media would have one believe?

The Real Dogs of War

Far Cry 3 Trailer-"Did I ever tell you the Definition of Insanity?"

Africa Addio: Congo Mercenaries

Congo Mercenaries 1960s

Insert African country's name here, the original playground and testing grounds for professional and amateur mercenaries