“­­­The lush vegetation of a tropical forest is deceiving to modern man. The forest’s balance with nature works perfectly, but only for the forest, not necessarily for a population of humans. Land that grows towering forest trees can be found barely arable for the crops that humans wish to grow."—from Bentari, chapter 14 “A Tribe of Orphans”

Bentari is a story about human dignity and the value of all people, everywhere; no matter how poor, no matter how hard they have to work to fill their cooking pots.

I read King Leopold's Ghost[1] by Adam Hochschild as part of my research, and I'm very mindful of the horrors that the "civilized" world has brought to indigenous people of Africa. My characters came to life in the hope that readers can identify with native populations, who, after all, are every bit as dignified, intelligent and devoted to their families as any humans who ever lived. They may not have “civilized” technology. Yet they have age-old human ingenuity, wisdom and that tried-and-true survival skill—togetherness.

On Saturday July 23, 2011, I was proud of my family and some of our friends who joined me to Run For Congo Women—sponsored by Portland’s own home-grown hero Lisa Shannon. Our team contributed $350 toward the cause—and the overall event raised over $27,000! Lisa’s goal, our goal, is to liberate Congolese women by seeding funds for them to become independent entrepreneurs. Their economic freedom gives them hope to remove the profit motive from the exploiters. Under King Leopold’s cruel empire, outsiders were the tyrants. Now the tyrants are both soldiers and rebels who rape women with impunity and subject their husbands and children to violence beyond belief. Specifics will not be mentioned on this blog. The villains are no longer outsiders, but the profit motive that drives the exploitation in the Congo, that has fueled the long and ongoing slaughter for over 15 years, is indisputably driven by the world’s consumption of coltan (for cell phones and computers), and of gold, and of diamonds.

Until the Wars in Africa end, we will Run For Congo Women.

Photo: Knights of the Brown Table: (front row) Madison and Ashton; (middle) Tristan, Debra, Hayle and Caitlin; (rear) Angus, Tim, Jordan and Brandon

[1] Available at Powell’s Books, see: http://www.powells.com/s?kw=king+leopold%27s+ghost&class=