My friend and fellow Kunati author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is contributing 125 copies of her enchanting novel, Whale Song, to Dallas Rocks 2008. The November 7 event is being staged by hip-hop impressario and jewelry entrepreneur Russell Simmons to raise money for the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which supports educational initiatives in African nations where diamonds are a natural resource.
Whale Song is sure to add sparkle to the other bling in the VIP gift bags to be handed to celebrities at the event. Cheryl's novel is a haunting tale of sacrifice and transformation from a socially-conscious author.
The Diamond Empowerment Fund was founded in 2006 by Simmons after a trip to Botswana and South Africa to investigate the diamond industry. Its initial beneficiary is the CIDA (Community and Individual Development Association) City Campus in Johannesburg, which provides higher education to 3400 students--all on scholarship--from a financially disadvantaged background.
When reading of the event, I couldn't help but think that there couldn't be a starker contrast between this school and the one in Heart of Diamonds, which is at the center of the diamond-smuggling scheme that drives the novel. The two represent opposite sides of the diamond industry in Africa.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds
Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds
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