I probably destroyed the grammar in the title. I took two semesters of kiSwahili in college ten years ago and haven't had much practical experience.
I'm writing a book that will be a setting for role-playing games. Almost all settings for these games are based on European or Asian mythology. There are two 'African' setting, but both treat Africa like a single culture and mix and match between West Africa, Egypt and Bantu mythology. My setting is called 'Ubantu' and it's based on Bantu mythology and cultures. Unlike the other African settings, it is centered around one group of cultures and follows them faithfully - there is nothing of Egypt or West Africa here. It also avoids the 'Dark Continent' trope. Ubantu is a magnificent, powerful civilization on par with Renaissance Europe. If you want to see it, the PDF is online here, free to download (the links in the table of contents don't work until you download it). There's a map here.
There's a point to this that relates to Swahili culture. A lot of the kids in the cities like Nairobi and Mombasa know more about Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings than they do about the legends and stories of their own cultures. One thing I plan on doing, after getting published in the US (this summer) is to find a way to get some copies to students, probably university level, in East Africa and let them try out the game. Seeking UNESCO funding has even been mentioned.
This summer, when we start editing to be published here in the US, I will be seeking art work and hopefully to hire an expert translator to help with some of the difficult terms. Rather than inventing a language for the setting, like Tolkien did with his Elvish, I'm using kiSwahili as much as possible, so the players can learn something useful. However, it's difficult to get words with the right context - like words for the different kinds of ghosts and monsters. I'll need someone who knows this area well.
Also, I'd really like some input from people who actually know these legends, just to look over the material and give me some feedback. I'm really trying to do with right, to bring to light a magnificent and complex mythology. Please understand that there's nothing irreligious about these games - it's make-believe and the players have real world religions (mostly Christian in the US, though I am Buddhist). It's just that for some reason, I fell in love with these stories, and I don't want them to be lost.
I'm writing a book that will be a setting for role-playing games. Almost all settings for these games are based on European or Asian mythology. There are two 'African' setting, but both treat Africa like a single culture and mix and match between West Africa, Egypt and Bantu mythology. My setting is called 'Ubantu' and it's based on Bantu mythology and cultures. Unlike the other African settings, it is centered around one group of cultures and follows them faithfully - there is nothing of Egypt or West Africa here. It also avoids the 'Dark Continent' trope. Ubantu is a magnificent, powerful civilization on par with Renaissance Europe. If you want to see it, the PDF is online here, free to download (the links in the table of contents don't work until you download it). There's a map here.
There's a point to this that relates to Swahili culture. A lot of the kids in the cities like Nairobi and Mombasa know more about Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings than they do about the legends and stories of their own cultures. One thing I plan on doing, after getting published in the US (this summer) is to find a way to get some copies to students, probably university level, in East Africa and let them try out the game. Seeking UNESCO funding has even been mentioned.
This summer, when we start editing to be published here in the US, I will be seeking art work and hopefully to hire an expert translator to help with some of the difficult terms. Rather than inventing a language for the setting, like Tolkien did with his Elvish, I'm using kiSwahili as much as possible, so the players can learn something useful. However, it's difficult to get words with the right context - like words for the different kinds of ghosts and monsters. I'll need someone who knows this area well.
Also, I'd really like some input from people who actually know these legends, just to look over the material and give me some feedback. I'm really trying to do with right, to bring to light a magnificent and complex mythology. Please understand that there's nothing irreligious about these games - it's make-believe and the players have real world religions (mostly Christian in the US, though I am Buddhist). It's just that for some reason, I fell in love with these stories, and I don't want them to be lost.
