The idea of a white guy becoming one with the “natives” and taking over the tribes definitely has its basis in truth and legend. Tarzan is one and so is Dances with Wolves and it was a recurring theme of colonial writing (Kipling’s “Man Who Would Be King”, Haggard “King Solomon’s Mines”, Buchan’s “Prester John”).

However, it would be hard to pin Avatar on the Zulu legends even though it coughs up enough mythology and religion to make you wonder. Sure, the language is sing-a-long-ish but hardly Zulu and without the signature clicks.

Shaka was never conquered by the British. In fact, he fought with a group of them against one of his persistent enemies and gave them an outpost in the sheltered bay of what is now Durban, so that he could observe and learn from them.

However, there really is an “Avatar” story about a white guy trying to take over the Zulus – but it is an altogether very different tale that my graphic novel “White Shaka Boy” is all about.

It happened in 1858 when the Zulu King, Cetswayo invited a certain white hunter to become a chief and set up a kraal in the coastal section of what is now KwaZulu. It all went well until the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. You’ll have to read the rest of my book to get the low down, but it all came down to this: sooner or later the “crossover guy” has to pick sides and, true to form, he tried to take over the Zulus (hence the ironic title).

It is fair to argue that many, if not all of these legendary stories were based on this one character and that all those authors would just as soon you forgot him (which most people did).

Why?

His 49 Zulu wives and 112 bi-racial children set him apart from every self-respecting colonial white and generated its own suspicions among the Zulus.

There’s a bit of the Obama here – but in reverse. And it’s not Hollywood – it’s all true.

“White Shaka Boy” covers the true story and plays it forward to today…….