2/09/10

Wisdom Man: Banjo Clarke as told to Camilla Chance

Camilla Chance

Show Description:
Aboriginal elder, Banjo Clarke, endured decades of discrimination that included imprisonment, seeing family members massacred and assimilated into a white society. Despite this 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 many people lie as part of their life. 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!"

Camilla Chance became close friends to Banjo Clarke thirty years ago. Camilla is part of the Baha'i faith, which encourages accceptance of everyone, and Banjo had this same belief. Even though these two individuals came from completely different backgrounds, Camilla being brought up as an aristocrat in England and presented to the Queen and Price Philip, and Banjo as an Aboriginal in Autralia, it did not destroy the connection of humanity and goodness they found in one another.

Banjo's 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 in a book to share with the world. Banjo's dream came true.

Banjo Clarke died three years before the book came out, but his spirit lives on. Banjo's son Len, and his seventeen-year old grandson Kirrae, whom Banjo carefully taught to take his place, would also be honored to speak about this amazing man. Banjo believed that Aborigniality could be the saving of the world, shining light on the hearts of mankind.

http://www.wisdommanbook.com

Guest Bio:
Camilla Chance was born in England in 1940, and educated in London, Switzerland, Italy and Australia, where she graduated in Arts from Melbourne University. She became a member of the Baha'i Faith at the age of 22.

Since graduation, Camilla has been a lyric writer for an international performing group, the Kuban Cossacks, a high school teacher, an editor, a wife and mother, and a book reviewer for two prestigious Australian newspapers – The Age and The Australian. From 1980 to 1982 she reviewed books by and about Aboriginal people, aiming to create understanding of the then often misunderstood Australian Aboriginal culture.

Camilla met Aboriginal Elder Banjo Clarke in 1975, and at his request wrote down his story and philosophy. This turned out to be a 27-year long labour of love, the book Wisdom Man. It became an immediate best-seller in Australia, and in 2005 the second edition won the American USABookNews.com Award for best multicultural work. In that year Camilla was also the first non-Aboriginal to receive the prestigious Unsung Hero Award from Aboriginal people for her dedicated friendship and work for them "behind the scenes".

Camilla has given a great many talks, often introduced by Aboriginal people, both all over Australia and internationally. She believes the only truly effective things in this era are deeds done from the whole heart, with selfless motives, and she strongly agrees with Banjo Clarke that there are no bad people in the world – only unhappy ones. She also thinks that indigenous people who are true to their old laws are living the closest to how we all need to live now, for our planet to survive.