Featured in Cornucopia 42 (Autumn 2009) Along the Silk Road, where Europe, Asia and Russia converge, stands the four thousand-year-old land of a peaceful people, the Uyghurs. Their culture is filled with music, dance, family and love of tradition passed down by storytelling through the ages. This autobiography presents the story of Rebiya Kadeer's journey from humble beginnings to her position as a powerful figure fighting for the Uyghurs' self-determination against Chinese domination. A refugee child, she has been a poor housewife, a multimillionaire, a high official in China's National People's Congress, a political prisoner for six years and now she is an exiled political dissident. Devoted to the principles of non-violence, Kadeer's courage, intellect, morality and sacrifice give hope to the nearly eleven million Uyghurs worldwide on whose behalf she speaks. REBIYA KADEER is the president of the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur American Association. Recognised as an unofficial head of state, she regularly meets with world leaders. |
