Wow. This was very insightful and a detailed account of how to approach historical/cultural/colonial issues in historical fiction. I lived in Mali for 2 years and speak Bambara and was wondering about your sources and the recordings of griots telling stories. I still have a cassette tape of a griot telling the story of Karamogo Sissouko. Anyways, loved hearing about your process and the respect for context and all voices.
I very much appreciated hearing how you approached writing this historical story. I ordinarily wouldn't read a graphic novel, but now I totally want to experience how you used the constraints, the reverse-engineering, and respect to craft his (possible) Story.
This is similar to what I did when I wrote my two feature screenplays based on history that was spotty at best. One was based on family oral history. The other was well-documented for public information but had nothing when it came to the personal side of the story, much like yours. I really enjoyed reading your process!
Wow. This was very insightful and a detailed account of how to approach historical/cultural/colonial issues in historical fiction. I lived in Mali for 2 years and speak Bambara and was wondering about your sources and the recordings of griots telling stories. I still have a cassette tape of a griot telling the story of Karamogo Sissouko. Anyways, loved hearing about your process and the respect for context and all voices.
I very much appreciated hearing how you approached writing this historical story. I ordinarily wouldn't read a graphic novel, but now I totally want to experience how you used the constraints, the reverse-engineering, and respect to craft his (possible) Story.
This is similar to what I did when I wrote my two feature screenplays based on history that was spotty at best. One was based on family oral history. The other was well-documented for public information but had nothing when it came to the personal side of the story, much like yours. I really enjoyed reading your process!