NEW YORK, April 11, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- This book has won an award from USABookNews.com for Best Multi-Cultural, an Australian Humanitarian Award and Camilla Chance is the first non-Aboriginal to receive a prestigious Aboriginal Award for her commitment to the Aboriginal people. At present a brief film about Wisdom Man has been shown on Australian Broadcasting television four times. The book will also be written in l0 episodes to be read over the radio. The author hopes for the book to be published in the U.S.
The book is about Aboriginal elder, Banjo Clarke and overcoming the darkness of racism. This was a man who endured decades of discrimination that included imprisonment and seeing family members massacred and assimilated into a white society. In the book Banjo says of hatred and anger, "Them things leave you in a flash if you see someone destitute or crying out for help." He also came to accept that part of life was being lied about. He found a way around that one too. "If you meet everybody openly, expecting to be friends for life, you're stronger than all the liars -- easy." A great lesson to learn and how especially poignant during Easter and Mother's Day.
What we find familiar in U.S. and Australian history is that it takes a few generations to bring some sense into the powers that be to accept all colors, cultures and learn from them, not destroy them.
Like the white culture in the U.S. that has enslaved, colonized and controlled the black man, so we have the story of Banjo Clarke, Aboriginal elder, whose Aboriginal culture in Australia was completely destroyed. Banjo is a symbol of kindness and compassion and how not to give up on humanity. In this book he teaches us all how to be kind to one another and accept people for who they are, not what color they are.
Camilla Chance became close friends with Banjo Clarke twenty five years ago. They became such good friends that he and his family gave permission to tape Banjo as he talked about the history of his life and his country and all that he had gone through, with the hopes that these tapes would be written into a book to share with the world.
Banjo Clarke died three years before the book came out, but his spirit lives on. Banjo's son Len, and his twelve-year old grandson Kirrae, whom Banjo carefully taught to take his place, would be happy to speak about this amazing man. Banjo believed that Aboriginality could be the saving of the world, shining light on the hearts of humankind. Banjo touched many lives throughout the world.