#colonization

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

[ID: A poem titled: Kupu rere kē. [in italics] My friend was advised to italicise all the foreign words in her poems. This advice came from a well-meaning woman with NZ poetry on her business card and an English accent in her mouth. I have been thinking about this advice. The convention of italicising words from other languages clarifies that some words are imported: it ensures readers can tell the difference between a foreign language and the language of home. I have been thinking about this advice. Marking the foreign words is also a kindness: every potential reader is reassured that although you're expected to understand the rest of the text, it's fine to consult a dictionary or native speaker for help with the italics. I have been thinking about this advice. Because I am a contrary person, at first I was outraged — but after a while I could see she had a point: when the foreign words are camouflaged in plain type you can forget how they came to be there, out of place, in the first place. I have been thinking about this advice and I have decided to follow it. Now all of my readers will be able to remember which words truly belong in -[end italics]- Aotearoa -[italics]- and which do not.

Next image is the futurama meme: to shreds you say...]

(Image ID by @bisexualshakespeare)

(only for the tutorial and first two missions. PLAY THE GAME!!)

I know for a fact the one-star Steam grifters heard the opening music and were more offended than they already were 🤣 DON'T LET THE RACIST LOSERS WIN! Leave good reviews!!

The music!! It's just getting me, it is. I love it.

It's certainly got a lot of atmosphere!

It looks smoother on PC than on TV (we ported it to the tv for comforts sake), but not bad. Very stylized. I wasn't pressed.

Voice acting is a joy, loving the accents, loving that Black Africans and places IN Africa are central to the plot. Senegal, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, and more.

Big sister coming through for little brother as the intro, classic.

The tutorial is really simple. Good for beginners, assuming you've ever played a game before.

Nomali- the Lady MC- is "All Africa Free Running Champion"- you are in good parkour hands 👍🏾

You can take easier or harder routes through the platforms, but you will get through it. You can try multiple ways, if you want! Just gotta plan it! It'll even show you some of the Whole platform.

It's a very pretty game! Very vibrant. People have been taught to imagine places in Africa as dirt huts, poverty, and misery (and we know why) and not a place full of life and culture. I like how this counteracts that mentality. And Afrofuturism!!!

We meet Feng (Chinese), Etienne (French), Annie (Afrikaner) showing that other people do interact and are still present! It's just not about you. I've been wondering if Ndedi is Afro-Chinese, but I'm sure I'll find out with time.

I love that their elder and leader is "Koko" Grace, which in Maa (Maasai) means Grandmother.

LOVING all the hair styles!!

I love that it tells you about the places that we are taking the items back for. For example, the first item is to take the Silver Buffalo back for the kingdom of Dahomey (dow-oh-mee), and it tells you where it is (modern day Benin), and different details about its colonization (French) and its value. AS WELL as where you're going to retrieve it (i.e. who currently has it).

It's not even just the African artifacts! The game will tell you about artifacts globally that were commandeered by Western museums. There has been an Indian artifact, and there was a Brazilian and Haitian one in the demo. So EVERYBODY gets a little representation, artifact wise!

YOU CAN STEAL MORE THAN OME ARTIFACT AT ONCE! Depending on your skill level. And it'll tell you about the person, their country, and a history fact. This is an educational game! It's really my favorite part, that you get to learn about the items we're taking back. I can absolutely tell why the "we hate Woke™ colored people" crowd would try to review-bomb this game.

I wouldn't call it an "easy" game. It's still a puzzle game! Take your time!