FWIW, Alexander McCall Smith is white. Of course, he was born in, as he puts it, "what is now Zimbabwe," and moved to Botswana when it became almost impossible to be white in Zimbabwe (or anything other than Shona.)
The key, I think, when you're using a real culture, or one that people are going to associate in their minds with a real culture, is to research that culture. In the case of Africa, of course, you have to remember that there is no one "African culture." Even within a single country, you have several individual cultures with individual identities. That's why so many African countries have issues with tribal warfare still.
I would say, Pick a specific culture that would allow you to have your ostriches and use them in that manner (Basarwa, for example, might ride ostriches?) and research the bejeezus out of the selected culture. Then make your changes along the lines of, "Well, this is another planet and these folks are descended from those folks, but it's been 1500 years..." or whatever.
no subject
The key, I think, when you're using a real culture, or one that people are going to associate in their minds with a real culture, is to research that culture. In the case of Africa, of course, you have to remember that there is no one "African culture." Even within a single country, you have several individual cultures with individual identities. That's why so many African countries have issues with tribal warfare still.
I would say, Pick a specific culture that would allow you to have your ostriches and use them in that manner (Basarwa, for example, might ride ostriches?) and research the bejeezus out of the selected culture. Then make your changes along the lines of, "Well, this is another planet and these folks are descended from those folks, but it's been 1500 years..." or whatever.