People ask us all the time - what is White Shaka really about? What is it trying to say?
Why is it a Graphic Novel? Is it for Children? Is it a true story?
Now that the full book - Volume 1 and 2 is finally off the press - we can answer all these questions.
1. The Greatest Story You Never Heard about the Zulus and South Africa - The White Chief White Shaka isinspired by a true story.
In 1858 King Cetswayo nominated a white hunter as a chief because he needed an intermediary between the Zulus and the British. He gave him land the Zulus don't normally value - coastline property less than 2 hours from Durban. And he gave him, as is Zulu custom, 49 wives.... They developed an amazing hybrid society that lasted until 1879 when the Anglo-Zulu War tore them apart. The book deals with the consequences of this from the perspective of an unwitting descendant growing up in today's New York.
If you are South African you probably know everything you need to understand why this story was never included in your history lessons. If you are not South African, then will understand this as a kind of Hemmings-and-Jefferson story. Today, it is more complicated because the real family which had trouble fitting in with the old White minority government is still unsettled in the new black majority government.
2. Why is it Fiction? How did Gandhi get in there?
There are several reasons it is fictional - some having to do with the continuing violence in the area. But the main reason is that we wanted to make it speak to American readers without getting too bogged down in local history. We also wanted to explore ideas that you can't really do in non-fiction. For example, we have good reason to believe that Gandhi learned certain key lessons from Shaka by way of the Bambatha Rebellion. Hard to prove but in fiction, we can explore this amazing story and then turn it into an even bigger one that holds a lesson for us all.
3. Why is it a Graphic Novel - is it for kids?
Fortunately, there is a graphic novel version of Mandela's life story and it's not just
for kids either! However, we chose this format because it does speak to a new audience,
because we can incorporate our beloved South African music and art and because we thought this whole story was movie-like and ought to be seen. At the end of the day, this a story adults can read and enjoy while kids can just absorb the pictures - and get the idea. Hopefully, they will ask questions. (We are adding a Study Guide on the website so they can learn.)
4. Can you see the White Shaka experience at your school?
Yes! We will give free readings if the author is in the area and in some cases we will even arrange to bring in our Zulu dancers for a Show and Tell.
Email ellen@whiteshaka.com for details. That's it! So order your copies!
Available on Amazon and select bookstores. Free CD with direct orders at www.whiteshaka.com or (800) 273-2832
A few words about the author: Alan Brody is the Durban-born journalist who first brought the story of Mandela's impending freedom from jail to New York Newsday in 1989. He has written numerous business strategy articles and books that subtly underlie this complex story of South Africa's 4 races, the legacy of King Shaka, the origin of Gandhi's passive resistance, feminism and the transformative possibilities of the New Africa.
A Great Graphic Novel Experience about a bi-racial African with a musical soundtrack featuring the hot new sounds of urban South Africa! www.whiteshaka.com
Showing posts with label Zulu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zulu. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
What is the New White Shaka All About?
White Shaka II is Now Out
The award winning complete version of White Shaka Boy is now out on Amazon or directly on the White Shaka Website.
Read our posts about the discussion points on White Shaka - its history, its music and its controversy.
About the music.
The theme song "Yeah, Yeah" and "Umile" have reached as high at #2 on the Overplay indie website.
White Shaka features music sung by the "discoverer" of Lady Gaga, Wendy Starland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMLjuBsfp7Q
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
White Shaka Wins International Storytelling Award
International Fuze Slideshare Storytelling Contest Winner
White Shaka Boy - the multimedia graphic novel about a New Yorker who discovers his personal Obama-like connection to Africa, won an Award in the Fuze Slideshare online storytelling contest.
White Shaka was judged the best Multimedia Story in the International Fuze Slideshare Storytelling contest that attracted contestants from all corners of the universe, where it was described by one voter as an "AWESOME...use of slides to tell a story."
Judges included Tony Hseih, CEO of Zappos; Om Malik, Journalist; Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics, Pete Cashmore, Founder, Mashable and Ann Handley, CCO of MarketProfs.
White Shaka - Graphic Novel
View more documents from Alan Brody.
White Shaka Boy is a parable about the new land grab taking place in Africa today. It is based on a true story about a teen who discovers he is the biracial heir to the only white Zulu Chief of Africa. To win back his empire he has to learn about Zulu culture and the new realities of urbanized Africa. He also discovers early feminism in Zulu war culture and the underlying connection between Shaka fighting method and Gandhi's Satyagraha (passive resistance).
White Shaka features an award-winning, sophisticated Zulu hip-hop soundtrack from the album by Imbube, produced by Draztik. The graphics were produced by Revo Yanson.
The book and story concept was created by Alan Brody, a well-known new media pioneer, journalist, speaker and entrepreneur who stumbled upon this saga while researching an article about his early years, growing up in Africa. "I wanted to show my clients that to succeed in sales you have to be willing to make direct contact with your prospects - a grinding, rejection-laden process. I thought I could use the techniques of Zulu warfare to show how to thrive. Then, I stumbled upon this story and somehow, my inner comic creator, music-lover and African adventurer came together."
White Shaka can be ordered on Amazon with the complete 17-song soundtrack CD for $19.95 or directly from the White Shaka website
All 35 Webisodes will be loaded on Slideshare over the next 6 months.
Slideshare is a popular presentation-sharing site in the business world that has crossed over to the creative world.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Mr. Obama Goes to Africa – What Will We Find?
.....a whole new way of looking at Africa [Update of my May blog]
The US public is about to get a wake up call when Mr. Obama shows up in West Africa in July. They figure this is probably no more that a diversion from our economic troubles at home – so now they ‘re going to see huts, misery and warfare. Should make us feel better right?
Actually what they are going to see are thriving, if challenged urban metropolises, sophisticated, if accented business thinkers and then something else……
China. And the question on the lips of many enthused Africans: “What took you so long?”
While we were looking the other way China has moved in the African vacuum left behind after the Cold War collapsed. They will find that most new mining development, banking and oil has been bankrolled by China. Many of these contracts give China both preferred pricing on new commodities but actually restrict sales to competitors – like us.
We will wake up to find who is really underwriting the conflict in Darfur and then we will be startled to find what has happened in Africas, largest and once most war-torn country: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Chinese are planning to build a dam so big that it will light up Europe. Imagine a Europe that buys its power from a $60bn dam in the jungle!
We are also going to find that Africa has developed a new personal trading platform that totally change the way governments function on the continent – cell phones. Outside of commodities, cell communications is bar far, the fastest growing business in Africa. Cell towers have leap-frogged wired infrastructure with the result that Africans can talk to each other – they even trade cell minutes as a form of currency.
Once you add secure accounts and smart phones, you know have a way to plug individual Africans into the World Market. At first that may not seem like a big deal but let’s imagine that western charities stop giving money to organizations that have a habit of grabbing huge chunks off the top – instead they open personal accounts by chief, village, family and person and hand out resources at the personal level. The value is held outside the country so the government or local thug can’t steal it – suddenly, you have a new Africa. You have mosquitoes in your village – buy some nets on our eBay Africa store we’ll ship ‘em to you. Need some water purification straws with that? No problem – and by the way, if you can get our cassava to market by Monday you’ll get twice the normal rate.
China won’t be offering these services anytime soon – but we will – it is part of the DNA of the Internet culture. And Africa is expecting it, they want it….from us. China, after all, is not exactly a friendly presence: after they have paid off the local powers, they tend to move in as a hermetic army seizing the key jobs and thought they will learn the lingo they are generally perceived as aliens. They can also be brutal. We, on the other hand, are perceived as returning brothers and sisters. The racial guilt trip built into the US conversation, has not only been put aside thanks to Mr. Obama’s presidency, but it was never a big part of the personal conversation in Africa, anyway. The only conversation that matters is opportunity and personal growth – they are ready to get a piece of the American Dream, African style.
In aggregate you have these two converging possibilities – a continent with a wealth of energy (oil and natural gas being discovered almost daily up and down the West coast), natural commodities whose value is increasing and the possibility of getting wealth into the hands of individuals as opposed to the former kleptocracies.
Needless to say, the carping about “let’s focus on America” will continue. How silly, the one continent that needs to buy just about everything we stand for – from proudcts to technology to ideology, and could actually pay for it, thanks to their natural wealth, has the power to transform our economy – just as Europe did in the 50’s. If we just get over our history and our self-absorption our next great wealth machine lies over the Atlantic – a short hop from our new trading partner.
The US public is about to get a wake up call when Mr. Obama shows up in West Africa in July. They figure this is probably no more that a diversion from our economic troubles at home – so now they ‘re going to see huts, misery and warfare. Should make us feel better right?
Actually what they are going to see are thriving, if challenged urban metropolises, sophisticated, if accented business thinkers and then something else……
China. And the question on the lips of many enthused Africans: “What took you so long?”
While we were looking the other way China has moved in the African vacuum left behind after the Cold War collapsed. They will find that most new mining development, banking and oil has been bankrolled by China. Many of these contracts give China both preferred pricing on new commodities but actually restrict sales to competitors – like us.
We will wake up to find who is really underwriting the conflict in Darfur and then we will be startled to find what has happened in Africas, largest and once most war-torn country: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Chinese are planning to build a dam so big that it will light up Europe. Imagine a Europe that buys its power from a $60bn dam in the jungle!
We are also going to find that Africa has developed a new personal trading platform that totally change the way governments function on the continent – cell phones. Outside of commodities, cell communications is bar far, the fastest growing business in Africa. Cell towers have leap-frogged wired infrastructure with the result that Africans can talk to each other – they even trade cell minutes as a form of currency.
Once you add secure accounts and smart phones, you know have a way to plug individual Africans into the World Market. At first that may not seem like a big deal but let’s imagine that western charities stop giving money to organizations that have a habit of grabbing huge chunks off the top – instead they open personal accounts by chief, village, family and person and hand out resources at the personal level. The value is held outside the country so the government or local thug can’t steal it – suddenly, you have a new Africa. You have mosquitoes in your village – buy some nets on our eBay Africa store we’ll ship ‘em to you. Need some water purification straws with that? No problem – and by the way, if you can get our cassava to market by Monday you’ll get twice the normal rate.
China won’t be offering these services anytime soon – but we will – it is part of the DNA of the Internet culture. And Africa is expecting it, they want it….from us. China, after all, is not exactly a friendly presence: after they have paid off the local powers, they tend to move in as a hermetic army seizing the key jobs and thought they will learn the lingo they are generally perceived as aliens. They can also be brutal. We, on the other hand, are perceived as returning brothers and sisters. The racial guilt trip built into the US conversation, has not only been put aside thanks to Mr. Obama’s presidency, but it was never a big part of the personal conversation in Africa, anyway. The only conversation that matters is opportunity and personal growth – they are ready to get a piece of the American Dream, African style.
In aggregate you have these two converging possibilities – a continent with a wealth of energy (oil and natural gas being discovered almost daily up and down the West coast), natural commodities whose value is increasing and the possibility of getting wealth into the hands of individuals as opposed to the former kleptocracies.
Needless to say, the carping about “let’s focus on America” will continue. How silly, the one continent that needs to buy just about everything we stand for – from proudcts to technology to ideology, and could actually pay for it, thanks to their natural wealth, has the power to transform our economy – just as Europe did in the 50’s. If we just get over our history and our self-absorption our next great wealth machine lies over the Atlantic – a short hop from our new trading partner.
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