Where there was once a toilet, now there is a fruit-bearing tree
EcoSan slogan in Mozambique
The search for a designer and a publisher for ‘40daysbefore40’ was quite as exciting as the forty-day journey that Renato took before his fortieth birthday, the story of which I tell in this book.
The project proved to be quite a challenge for the team at Jannuzzi Smith. In the end, toilet paper, in its structure and texture, has served as the inspiration for the design of the book.
When I showed the manuscript to my colleague Bruno, he was impressed and said: “My father, Max, never leaves for a walk without some toilet paper in his pocket. He was in the Swiss army, during the last war and was told never to be without any. It has become his closest friend. I think it should be everyone’s closest friend.”
It was my encounter with Lucky Dissanayake in London which made me aware of the existence of WaterAid UK: when she saw the toilet photographs Renato had taken during his 40-day journey, she asked me whether I knew about the charity. “No, I’m afraid I don’t!” I had to reply. She immediately organised a meeting for me with Charlotte Heron of WaterAid, who introduced me to the work of the organisation, and it was during our discussion that I first came to properly understand how toilets are an expression of forms of life, lifestyle and society.
One of WaterAid’s areas of work is its EcoSan programme, ‘developing ecological sanitation methods across Africa to both dispose of human waste safely and benefit local agriculture by creating a renewable source of fertile compost.’ More information about the programme is available through the WaterAid website (www.wateraid.org).
My late father, Charly, used to tell me about his visits to Rwanda. He would go there during his holidays, to work with a team of Rwandans installing solar panels on hospitals and other public buildings, to provide hot water and save energy. It is the example of my father’s voluntary work in Africa that has prompted me to support WaterAid UK’s EcoSan project, and five pounds for every book sold will go directly to the charity.
WABart
London, September 2002
To order a copy of '40daysbefore40' send a cheque of £12 with your name and address to:
Wolfgang Amadeus Brülhart
Meisenweg 10
CH-3186 Düdingen
SWITZERLAND
