Simon Barrett of Blogger News Network, who reviewed over 100 books during 2007, has included Scatterlings of Africa among the eight books in his “Books For Under The Tree at Christmas” selection for 2007.
Archivist, life-long reader, and reviewer, Karen listed Scatterlings of Africa as number 94 in her list of 100 best reads for 2007 in her morsiy reads Blog.
I’ve never met these people, but thank them both for first reading my novel, and then taking the trouble to include it among their favourite reads and publish their findings.
Meanwhile, more than 3 million Zimbabwean people depend on UN food aid and it is estimated that this number will increase to over 4 million during 2008. On January 03, the BBC reported that “China ships food aid to Zimbabwe”, much to the delight of Dictator Mugabe and his cronies, who say that China is a “reliable friend of Zimbabwe”. China has shipped just 5,000 tons of food aid (the UN provides 1 million tons a year – no doubt most of it from the USA and EU). But China gets the praise, while the USA and other western countries are condemned as enemies of the (Zimbabwean) state.
What are western liberals doing about this? Well, the ever-so-politically correct green grocer to the liberals of England, Waitrose have decided to import fish from Zimbabwe because it comes from a “fair trade supplier”. Readers will forgive me for reminding them that Zimbabwe is a landlocked state, where its people are reliant on imported food from the United Nations; England is part of the British Isles and surrounded by fish and food. Yet this British supermarket is importing fish 5,160 miles by air from a country whose people are starving… Yet another example of woolly headed, so-called intellectual thinking from the liberal elite of the west.
I take this opportunity to wish my readers a happy and successful New Year. Please think of those pensioners in Zimbabwe who are short of food, water and other basics.
END
Author, Peter Davies was a soldier in Rhodesia from 1963 to 1975, where he took part in the capture and interrogation of terrorists. His novel, Scatterlings of Africa, is based on his own experience during Rhodesia’s war on terror, and personal observations of how terrorist activities impacted Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and its people.
Readers who would like to make a contribution to help innocent pensioners, who are unable to buy food and other basic necessities in Zimbabwe, should please contact Patricia Williams by email patashnix.btinternet.com.
