by Rhonda Mitchell

A cloth can’t talk – can it? Yes – with a little imagination. And especially if you are an imaginative child.

Amber is part of an Afro-American family: Mom, Daddy and – wait for it – Aunt Phoebe. She’s the jewel of the family in Amber’s eyes. “She has things. Things and things and things…” “A junk pile” Daddy calls it. But to the little girl it’s a treasure trove reflecting her aunt’s jaunts around the world. Aunt Phoebe regales her with stories about these journeys, whilst Amber sips hot coffee, her eyes aglow and her ears wide open.

The cloth in question is part of the treasure. Spread out, it’s “…a long magic carpet (running) like a white river across the floor.” It is actually a Ghanaian adinkra cloth.

The story it tells unfolds from its hand-printed and embroidered designs. It tells of the Ashanti people and was only worn by royalty. Her aunt proudly informs her that she “feels like an Ashanti princess” when she wears it. Yes, it was an item of clothing in the old days.

Apparently the colours are symbolic: white for joy, yellow for riches, blue for love, but red for sadness, death or war. Despite his pretended disdain, Daddy likes to listen, too. Some symbols are, like hieroglyphics, words: “Except God, I fear none.” “I offend no-one without cause.”

They joke about what sort of cloth each of them should wear: a serious design for Daddy, a “mess” for amber’s baby brother. Aunt Phoebe promises Amber that the cloth shall be hers when she is older.

A superbly illustrated and fascinating story.

by Liz Allum, Barbara Lowe, Bente Madeira, Dave Richards, Louise Robinson

This resource is ideal for teaching Global Citizenship and is one of a series which explores various aspects of the important subject.

This pack primarily deals with imperialism, how it came about, when it started, its present day position and challenges many modern preconceptions. Between 1947 and 1980 when I was teaching we were very cautious about dealing with these subjects for fears of upsetting the status quo. This material shows no fears.

By Anil Padmanabhan

What an inspiring story of the human spirit overcoming all seemingly impassable obstructions to reach their goal! And what a tragic, heartbreaking ending to such a remarkable life!

I was in India for four years, during the war, and was “adopted” by a wonderful Bengali family. In this position I was able to observe the Indian way of life, their culture, habits and behaviour. Even then, the young women I got to know had already emerged from the days of meek subservience to their menfolk, although there were plenty, outside their family circle, who hadn’t.

By Jonah Winter

The cruelty of those who oppress the poor and ethnic minorities is only matched by their cowardice. Of these heroes of peace, especially the well known ones, many were murdered by the powers that be for daring to preach and act upon belief in humanity. The outstanding example, Jesus of Nazareth, dared to assert that all humans are of equal worth. That he added “in the sight of God” did not spare him the Roman version of the hangman’s rope. How could a slave be of equal worth to Caesar and even claim the same human rights? It was rank sedition. Gandhi – murdered; Martin Luther King – murdered. Archbishop Romero – murdered; Aung San incarcerated.

All these remarkable and courageous – some might say foolhardy, in view of the risks they were taking – heroes are noted for their overriding love of their fellows. Their stories are so moving that I defy any sensistive person to read these stories and not get a lump in the throat if not to weep.

Nelson Mandela called her "a vision of hope" and described the movement she founded in Kenya as "[democratising] the connection between sustainable development of resources, democracy and peace." ‘The Green Belt Movement’ is written by the remarkable innovator herself.  Maathai goes into detail as to how she went about starting the movement and lists the aims; to raise consciousness of the need for protection of the environment, fostering a community spirit and enthusiasm amongst others.

Maathai lays out the structure of the movement, how it is organised and financed, what it has achieved despite the obstacles (mainly from the authorities) and the learning outcomes. She also gives advice to those wishing to follow in her footsteps and details the vision for the future of her movement. Maathai’s heroic efforts to fight her corner and lead the movement are what led to her becoming the first female in Africa to receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace. Read also Mama Miti (The Mother of Trees) a superbly illustrated book by Donna Jo Napoli which sheds further light on this wonderful woman.

Wangari Maathai has been referred to in a previous BPEC book review - Planting of Trees in Kenya by Claire A. Nivola.

The Gaia Atlas of First Peoples - Julian Berger

This book reflects clearly the fact that indigenous peoples are diverse in culture, religion, social and economic organisation and that they cherish their own distinct cultures. We have many lessons to learn from how indigenous people treat each other and the respect they show to the environments they live in. First Peoples describes the interconnectedness of peoples, nature and spirits through stories that serve to remind people of their place in the universe and their connection with the past.

First Peoples provides many fascinating insights into a variety of indigenous beliefs and understandings such as the meaning of aboriginal ‘dreamtime’, the creation of hills, rocks, hollows and rivers formed by powerful ancestral spirits of long ago. The rich symbolism of objects and their associations in the traditions of many indigenous cultures (such as the pipe, feather and rattle) are included and brought to life with over 100 full-colour photos and illustrations. The symbolism of colour is also explained excellently with 68 wonderful colour maps.

This inspiring book touches on many issues, such as Gaia hypothesis, conservation of natural resources, culture conflict, environmental policy, human ecology and social policy - a great read for all ages!