Budding writer Louise Sopher has recently returned from Borneo where she spent five months collecting stories from the Penan tribe.
Louise, 19, is now sharing her findings in a book, available online and in print: Stories from a Settled Tribe: The People of Long Lamai. Profits will be donated towards the village. The former JFS pupil tells People: "The idea was to ask the villagers about their lives and any messages they wanted to share. By doing so, many hope to extend the respect for the village and secure its future."
Louise, who lives in Watford, Herts, collected 30 stories. She did so with help from villagers who could speak English and helped her translate. "Penan people have been settled there for around 50 years so they have a mixture of old and modern life. I loved it there. Although it was quite difficult eating rice three times a day." Louise, who will be studying sociology at Warwick University later this
year, hopes to do more travelling and writing.
