Meet Wisdom Man
We
can learn much from the Aboriginal people and Aboriginal Elder, Banjo
Clarke, whom Camilla Chance writes about in her award-winning book, Wisdom Man.
Like
the white culture in the United States that had enslaved, colonized and
controlled the black man, so we have the story of Banjo Clarke,
Aboriginal Elder, whose Aboriginal culture in Australia was in much
danger of destruction by the white man. What we find in each of their
histories is that it takes a few generations to bring some sense into
the powers that be to accept all colors and cultures and learn from
them, not destroy them.
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 approximately thirty
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. As a result
Camilla Chance has written this amazing book about an amazing man, Banjo
Clarke, Wisdom Man.
This
was a man who endured and witnessed decades of discrimination and
hardship, yet as Banjo says in the book about 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, but 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."
The
book was on the best-seller list in Australia, and an Australian
documentary made about it was nominated for a Humanitarian Award. Its
author Camilla Chance was also the first non-Aboriginal to receive the
prestigious Unsung Hero Aboriginal Award for her dedication and work for
the Aboriginal people. In addition, the book has also won theUSABookNews.com award here in the USA for best Multicultural work.
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