Bruno Manser Fonds
Heuberg 25
4051 Basel
Switzerland
phone +41 61 261 94 74
fax +41 61 261 94 73
updated 2001-05-25
Documentation "Totem for Bruno Manser"
Text for Bruno
ext by Tom Edwars, Sarawak Campaign Committee, Tokyo, Japan
Bruno has been missing for one year, but the heart cannot accept it. Certainly any minute he will be paragliding down with a gift for Chief Minister Taib, rolling down the Matterhorn ropeway, or appearing in a coffee shop in Marudi with a sheepish grin on his face, admitting that he was having such a good time roaming the forest with his friends that he had lost track of time... I first met Bruno when the Sarawak campaign was at its peak in Japan, the fall-winter of 1992. There were protests at the ITTO meeting, and Bruno joined us for a weeklong pre-Christmas hunger strike in front of Marubeni, a major importer of timber. Bruno had wanted to do something more spectacular, like rappelling with a banner from the Marubeni building, so it took some convincing to get him to settle for this. A week without solid food was an ordeal for many of us, but for Bruno it seemed like a picnic! He was just full of fun and jokes and energy, and one day chose to walk around in the chilly winter air with just his Penan loincloth on. (I was keeping warm and anonymous in a Santa outfit). Many people from all walks of life joined us. The Marubeni employees must have felt pretty annoyed, but some took our leaflets and talked to us. The managers were polite, but said they could do nothing, as they must meet their customers' demands.
The campaign was strong for a few more years, but took a heavy toll, especially on Kazuko, who had given so much of herself to lead the movement. Though some local governments in Japan had adopted policies to reduce use of tropical timber, the media attention was waning, and problems were cropping up. It was then that BMF kindly invited Kazuko and me to Europe to attend meetings with forest activists in the summer of 1996. It was encouraging to meet many of you, and to hike through the hills and sit around the fire with Bruno, who shared with us some of the mysteries of nature learned from his years as a shepherd. But we were not able to revitalize the campaign in Japan, or even stay in touch with friends in Europe after that.
The time I spent with Bruno was not so long, but left a distinct mark in my life. It is hard to put to words, but there was a certain uncanny spontaneity and intenseness in each moment spent with him. Bruno could be as stubborn as a mule, and a bit haphazard in his ways, but the purity and profundity of his soul touched us all. His indefatigable spirit, love and courage awakened these latent qualities in others, inspiring to action and to the joy of sharing. Those who consider Bruno an adversary blame him for instigating the Penans, and view his adoption of indigenous ways with a mix of disdain, disbelief and perhaps pity. But I don't think Bruno considered the logging companies, politicians, or anyone to be enemies. He deeply trusted in the basic goodness of people. The way of the forest peoples was closest to his heart and most natural for him. I don't think he would have chosen the hum of faxes and computers and the adrenalin rush of campaigns except out of necessity. But even in the most stressful days of campaigning, he never stopped cheering us up and reminding us of the joy and wonders of being alive.
Somewhere in one of my boxes, I have a wooden top and a pair of woolen socks that Bruno had given me as a farewell gift. He had made them by hand during his 60 days fast in front of the European Parliament. Little did I know that it would really turn out to be our farewell. But these precious momentos remain cluttered among my things, just as I became side-tracked by issues other than Sarawak. Time was lost when there was no time to lose.
Bruno disappeared in the forests he most loved. Now he will always be able to walk the forest floor with his friends. And his spirit will whisper, along with the spirits of the forest, to the next generations-the daughters and sons of the land. May we not let that voice be smothered by the din and hubbub of our lives. And may we be able to stand up in solidarity with the people of Sarawak again.
May 21st, 2001 Tom Edwardson
Sarawak Campaign Committee Tokyo, Japan