In 2003, I went to Sierra Leone to work on a diamond project, and I visited many times over the next five years. The civil war had finished and the UN had collected the weapons, but the population was still traumatised. I visited the Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary outside Freetown several times. During one of the visits, I bought a DVD about the sanctuary and it mentioned the white chimp, Pinkie. She had lived at the sanctuary for a short while before dying of unknown causes. This has inspired me to use the sanctuary and Pinkie as characters in my latest novel, Africa Green, which follows on from Rebel Green It tells the story of Isabella, the youngest Green Daughter, who has become a journalist. I hope you will enjoy this tale of adventure, love and hope.
