Kafiristan emerged from the experience
of journeys to distant lands where my imagination was tempered by reality and the
ability to see things as they are. These were places where power was often exercised
by a privileged few. Some were secular dictators others comprised a religious
elite. What they all had in common was the maintenance of structures designed
to maintain their power. Often through a process of oppression against those
who they perceived were a threat.
Kafiristan is also about the
strength of the human spirit and the inability of those who thirst for power to
extinguish that burning light. We may be of different lands and different cultures, have different
beliefs and observe different rituals. But the basic needs of all are
fundamentally the same: food, shelter and safety for ourselves and our
families.
Those in prosperous nations are hardly conscious of
such issues. Yet for most of the world’s people, the struggle to meet the basic
needs is a struggle that repeats itself every day for most, if not all of their
life. The storyline for Kafiristan
emerged from observing such struggles and reflecting on the forces that
contribute to their creation and perpetuation and the options available to the
oppressed and dispossessed to achieve a better life.
Kafiristan draws upon a rich tapestry
of experiences: needing to move on quickly due to the unfriendly preachings of
the local religious figure, before emerging into the next valley and being
entranced by the contrasting friendliness of those you meet. The refugee held
in a desolate detention centre in a country they believed was a safe haven from
persecution. The family living on less than $2 a day and the elderly couple
crouched over the grave of their only son in a cemetery designated for martyrs.
They all have a story worth telling and sharing.
The opportunity for the oppressed to speak of the
iniquities and inequities is, in many places, limited to contact with the
occasional foreign traveller. The contact is spontaneous and sometimes under
the cover of darkness. They talk of the actions they would take if the
opportunity arose. Sometimes it is one of violent retribution and sometimes it
is one of flight. Others look over their
shoulder before speaking and simply say "there is little we can do."
It is said that writing a novel is an indulgence
that contributes little to the benefit of mankind. On the other hand, it is
possible that some issues are best canvassed in a novel rather than reduced to
a self-serving sound grab.
Kafiristan explores several
controversial issues of social interest, particularly in today's world of
conflicting religious faiths and extremist violence. The expression of these in
a non-fictional forum, often leads to them becoming obscured by the outrage of
those who believe their beliefs are being questioned or they are being asked
for clarification of intent and meaning on matters they believe are truths
beyond question. The schism between religious extremists and religious moderates
is a case in point, where the latter see their peaceful beliefs in danger of
being overwhelmed by vicious extremists.
Kafiristan also considers the other
side of the equation; those who object to people seeking refuge from
persecution by arriving uninvited to our shores. The exchanges involve issues
the objectors often don’t understand and just as often don't wish to understand
in case such understandings challenge their view of the world. Rather, they
begin to act in a manner reminiscent of those from whom the refugees were
fleeing.
Kafiristan seeks to place the
competing issues within a recognisable social context, drawing on challenges
both current and in the recent past. In such circumstances the novel can be a
potentially countervailing force that increases understandings. The novel allows the reader to consider the
merits of what they read and make judgements without the issue being obscured
by the voice of ignorance or vested interests.
Kafiristan tells of how the exercise
of narcissistic power can disrupt the fine balance within a peaceful
village. How a sequence of events leads
to violence and the triggering of a response that takes a maturing boy to the
other side of the world and the creation of a man who questions the substance
of previously unquestioned beliefs, combined with a desire for retribution.
Each element contributes to the mosaic that is Kafiristan.
