Act 2 Script Redone - Badin and the Secret of the Saami

Like the Act 1 revision, Act 2 is cut down to 20 pages. With four acts at 20 pages each, I should be at 80 total comic pages. The story is moving along much better rewritten. The Saami elements and the antagonist of the story are starting to become more real.

I have quite a bit of anxiety about how readers of Saami ancestry will take to my embellishments and historical fiction. I am consulting with trusted sources that are knowledgeable and part of the Saami culture. Yet, I cannot bind myself, as my characters are entirely fictional—and must remain so or I will have a story without much action. However, as a man of African descent in the United States, the last thing I want to do is to malign or insult another minority.

Who could this be?

From the very beginning, my motivation has been to connect people of African descent in Scandanavia with Sapmi (the proper expression of the Saami people and culture throughout Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia). They have much in common. Moreover, I continue to work on the story to ensure that I leave the readers—no matter what their ethnicity—feeling good about the underrepresented underdogs of society (minorities, immigrants, etc). I especially want Saami and African and other immigrant youth of Sweden to be inspired by the story. Sweden is their home. They should feel at home and contribute to its progress as those before them did so long ago.

Although there is no evidence that Couchee (Badin) had any experience with Saami folk, I want that experience for him (that is the beauty of writing historical fiction). Of all the great places and people of Sweden I was exposed when I starred in Allt För Sverige, living with Saami people for a few days was something I wished I could have done. The more I learn about them—and the more I work on developing my Saami characters—the more I respect and honor their great heritage.

The Saami people may be a minority in Sweden, but they are at its foundation. The same goes for Africans in Sweden. Neither of these realities can be ignored any longer. And that, I hope, will be at least partly remedied with Badin and the Secret of the Saami and my work to translate Badin's diary.