Legend Press hosts book launch at the Africa Centre, Covent Garden

Posted on August 1, 2006 in Uncategorized

Survival International, the largest and oldest charity working for the rights of tribal people worldwide, is helping to fund the Gana and Gwi ‘Bushmen’s’ court action against their forced removal from Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve. These Bushmen and their neighbours, the Bakgalagadi, have been evicted by the authorities from their homes; their water has been cut off, they have been forbidden to hunt or gather food, and they have been forced into relocation camps where torture is rife and despair reigns. The authorities say that this is in order to ‘civilise’ the people, offer them ‘development’, but others say that this harassment is due to de Beers discovering diamonds on the Bushmen’s ancestral land in South Africa.

Survival does not operate in the way that most charities do; yes, it gratefully accepts monetary donations from supporters (yet refuses any funding offered by national governments), but more importantly calls upon its patrons to voice their protest and offer assistance in the form of words. Believing that public opinion is the most effective force for change, Survival wants people to sign their online petition and write letters of objection to the Botswanan government.

And so it was an appropriate offering from Candi Miller, the author of Salt & Honey, and Legend Press’ Managing Director Tom Chalmers, that a contribution from each sale at the book’s launch on 29th July should go to the charity. Miller, herself born and raised in Africa, spoke at the launch about her anger at hearing that some ‘Bushmen’ were dying after eating contaminated food given to them by the South African Defence Force at a holding camp in the Eighties. Since then, spurred on to make the oppression in her homeland the subject of a book, she has conducted extensive research, which has included an arduous expedition through the Kalahari Desert in Namibia and Botswana to track down the nomadic tribes. There, she was caught up in one of the largest veld fires ever to sweep the sub-continent, and charged by a bull elephant.

Without wishing to sound sentimental, listening to Miller speak so openly about what she has gone through for the last ten years to research and write Salt & Honey, it became obvious to all present that the novel is a work of great passion and love, and I for one felt privileged to be there. Tom Chalmers remarked, ‘From a fascinating idea came a beautifully written story and it immediately stood out as something very special. Also the sheer volume of work Candi had put it to authenticate the characters, environment and language added further depth and feeling to the writing.’ Her own photos from the trip, blown-up and dotted around the Africa Centre, reinforced the personal adventure that Miller had been on in order to be standing in front of us all. Petite and blonde, she strangely didn’t appear out of place against the desolate backdrop of the African desert and the brightly-coloured swathes of material that hung from the ‘Bushmen’s’ bony figures – yet the setting seemed so removed from a sweltering Thursday night in London. Charming and witty during her signing, and enjoying her night of glory when we later moved onto the Retox bar near the piazza, this dedicated, hardworking and extremely personable woman truly deserves her success.

While the novel has great topical relevance as the plight of the Botswana ‘Bushmen’ is currently hitting the political headlines around the world, it has also been praised for offering an authentic and fascinating depiction of tribal life from a deeply human angle, highlighting social issues while testing the powers of identity and endurance. Incredibly moving, it offers the reader a story of universal issues to which we all can relate, through the heroine Koba. Author Barbara Trapido has commented that: ‘Miller’s achievement is to have written a small book with truly big themes. An ambitious novel with impressive range.’

Having been featured in The Bookseller and subject to widespread film, translation, media and buyer interest, it is hardly surprising that the launch attracted some big names: several head buyers from Waterstone’s and Borders as well as representatives from independent booksellers, one or two prominent literary agents, some media folk who will be reviewing the book and of course the SYP crew. For a debut novel, Salt & Honey promises big things: a readership of loyal fans, putting Candi Miller’s name on the publishing map, adding to the growing corpus of literary works published by Legend Press, and making a small yet worthy contribution to the plight of the Botswanan tribal people and Survival’s efforts on their behalf.
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Salt & Honey is available at £7.99 from www.legendpress.co.uk or all good bookshops. To sign the petition for the ‘Bushmen’ of Botswana, or to find out more about Survival’s work, visit www.survival-international.org.