reach, chiefs from the surrounding towns arrived to meet with the chief of Imperi. None of them had been advised of the arrival of the mining company, and they wanted to collectively send a message to the paramount chief demanding an explanation. At the very least, the fearful population should have been spared the anxiety of thinking war had returned. The chiefs decided to pay a visit to the paramount chief the following day.
The next morning, as though whoever had given permission from the government anticipated dissent from the people of Imperi who owned the land that the mining company would start operating on for minerals, a number of private security personnel arrived carrying heavy weapons and ammunition. The sight of such uniformed and armed men aroused fear and anger in the dispirited people. They didn’t want to return to anything closer to what had happened here not so long ago. When women and children who were on their way to the river, to farms, and to markets saw the 4 × 4 vehicles filled with armed men, they dropped whatever they were carrying and ran either toward town to alert their families or into the bushes. The foreigners in the front seat of some of these vehicles laughed at what they considered an uncalled-for and silly reaction. By the time the armed men and foreigners passed through town, people were already packing up whatever little they had acquired and running away. The commotion of women screaming for their children and hurried footsteps filled the air. When some of the men learned that these were personnel for the company, they ran about town calling for calm, but half the population had already made it far into the forest and only returned days later. The town was tense that night and some days that followed.
The ease that some of the young boys and girls who had been in the war had started feeling was immediately replaced by the habits of survival because of the guns and uniformed men that passed through town every so often. Most of these children no longer slept; their eyes became more vigilant and they spent nights in the bushes at the edges of Imperi.
The paramount chief was the head of all the local chiefs in various towns around Imperi and was the direct representative of the people to the minister of the province, who resided in the capital. Thus, all grievances beyond local matters went through the paramount chief. All the local chiefs who had agreed to ascertain why the arrival of the mining company hadn’t been discussed with the people, or at least announced to them, made the journey to visit the chief two days earlier than they had planned because of the arrival of the armed security.
She lived in one of the dilapidated villages, her house the only one in good condition and with a generator. When the chiefs arrived, having walked five miles from Imperi, where they gathered for the journey, they were treated to cold water, a rarity in this part of the country and sometimes enough to distract people from pursuing their grievances—and this was exactly what happened. The paramount chief told her guests, while supplying them cold water and soft drinks, that she would take up the matter with whoever was in charge. She added that they should be happy for now, as the mining company’s arrival was a good thing.
“They are bringing jobs!” she exclaimed, but no one shared her excitement. She had no intention of looking into the complaint and wouldn’t mention anything to anyone. She knew of the company’s arrival and had received her bribe and some of the supplies the foreigners had brought. Nonetheless, the chiefs had faith in her and believed that she would represent her people. Perhaps it was because of what had happened during the war in their land that they thought no one would work against their people in the very early wake of that madness, or perhaps it was something else. Whatever it was, they were mistaken.
The week that followed brought about changes that no one
The next morning, as though whoever had given permission from the government anticipated dissent from the people of Imperi who owned the land that the mining company would start operating on for minerals, a number of private security personnel arrived carrying heavy weapons and ammunition. The sight of such uniformed and armed men aroused fear and anger in the dispirited people. They didn’t want to return to anything closer to what had happened here not so long ago. When women and children who were on their way to the river, to farms, and to markets saw the 4 × 4 vehicles filled with armed men, they dropped whatever they were carrying and ran either toward town to alert their families or into the bushes. The foreigners in the front seat of some of these vehicles laughed at what they considered an uncalled-for and silly reaction. By the time the armed men and foreigners passed through town, people were already packing up whatever little they had acquired and running away. The commotion of women screaming for their children and hurried footsteps filled the air. When some of the men learned that these were personnel for the company, they ran about town calling for calm, but half the population had already made it far into the forest and only returned days later. The town was tense that night and some days that followed.
The ease that some of the young boys and girls who had been in the war had started feeling was immediately replaced by the habits of survival because of the guns and uniformed men that passed through town every so often. Most of these children no longer slept; their eyes became more vigilant and they spent nights in the bushes at the edges of Imperi.
The paramount chief was the head of all the local chiefs in various towns around Imperi and was the direct representative of the people to the minister of the province, who resided in the capital. Thus, all grievances beyond local matters went through the paramount chief. All the local chiefs who had agreed to ascertain why the arrival of the mining company hadn’t been discussed with the people, or at least announced to them, made the journey to visit the chief two days earlier than they had planned because of the arrival of the armed security.
She lived in one of the dilapidated villages, her house the only one in good condition and with a generator. When the chiefs arrived, having walked five miles from Imperi, where they gathered for the journey, they were treated to cold water, a rarity in this part of the country and sometimes enough to distract people from pursuing their grievances—and this was exactly what happened. The paramount chief told her guests, while supplying them cold water and soft drinks, that she would take up the matter with whoever was in charge. She added that they should be happy for now, as the mining company’s arrival was a good thing.
“They are bringing jobs!” she exclaimed, but no one shared her excitement. She had no intention of looking into the complaint and wouldn’t mention anything to anyone. She knew of the company’s arrival and had received her bribe and some of the supplies the foreigners had brought. Nonetheless, the chiefs had faith in her and believed that she would represent her people. Perhaps it was because of what had happened during the war in their land that they thought no one would work against their people in the very early wake of that madness, or perhaps it was something else. Whatever it was, they were mistaken.
The week that followed brought about changes that no one
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