Author’s support of Blood Diamond cause

Set in Apartheid-riven southern Africa, Salt & Honey tells the story of a young Bushman girl who is wrenched from her Kalahari desert-tribe after witnessing the brutal murder of her parents. The novel has received great acclaim, was included in Heat’s top ten books and editions are due to appear in five different languages around the world.

Miller is one of the only authors brave enough to tackle these controversial yet vital issues and the novel has already been connected to high-profile happenings in the non-book world. This included receiving public backing from Survival International, the charity for tribal people’s rights, who were helping the Gana and Gwi Bushmen fight a court action to stop them being forcibly evicted from their traditional hunting ground in the Kalahari Desert.

Happily, the trial was eventually ruled in favour of the Bushmen, but not before six people had died and the survivors had been starved out by government forces, rumoured to want the land because diamonds have been found there. This is the issue at the heart of Blood Diamond, set in Sierra Leone and focussing on the illegal trade in conflict diamonds. News of the film has caused howls of protest from diamond industry bosses.

Asked how she felt about these issues raised by her novel and now the blockbuster film, African-born Miller said she’d be delighted if anything she wrote helped raise awareness of exploitative practices on the continent. “Diamonds are beautiful, but I don’t wear them, not even an engagement ring. Yes, the diamond industry has tried to clean up its act and ban trade in conflict diamonds but, with corruption so rife at the supply end, how can one be sure the bling on one’s finger isn’t covered in a child’s blood?”


ENDS

Note to editors:

· Candi Miller is available for interview and comment and should be contacted via Legend Press.

· For more information on Legend Press visit www.legendpress.co.uk or email info@legendpress.co.uk.

· Publishing Executive at Legend Press, Emma Howard, can be contacted at emmahoward@legendpress.co.uk.

· For further information from Survival International contact Miriam Ross on 0207 687 8734 or email mr@survival-international.org. For more details on their Bushman campaign visit www.survival-international.org

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