Читать книгу The Song of Mawu - Jeff Edwards - Страница 21

15

Two days later, a rather bemused Dr Daniel Zibu was collected from his very modest city flat by a chauffer driven limousine and transported in whisper quiet comfort into the English countryside.

He was here because he had received a personal call from Dr Rani Smith, the head of the Rani Smith Trust. The Trust had enabled him to move from the limited educational standards of the Namolan Medical Academy in Lobacra to the prestigious Guys in London and he would be eternally endebted to them for the opportunity.

Her call had been short and to the point, The Fund, a newly formed charity, needed information which he was in a position to provide. Would he be willing to give up a day of his precious time to assist them? Of course he would.

Daniel wondered just what sort of medical assistance they needed.

***

As the limousine pulled up outside the impressive new headquarters building, the driver climbed out to open the rear door for Daniel. As he did so a small man in a security uniform joined them.

‘Good morning Dr Zibu my name is Teddy Strang the Head of Security,’ he said cheerfully, ‘Welcome to The Fund. If you’ll come with me, the board is waiting to speak to you.’

He led the doctor inside and they took a lift that rose a couple of floors before stopping. Here Teddy Strang led the doctor down a short hallway to a set of double doors. ‘Normally they’d be holding the meeting in their boardroom but seeing as how there are a few extra guests it was decided to use one of the lecture rooms.’

Inside, Daniel found himself led to a small stage, before which rows of individual desks rose in tiers. The first two rows were occupied by a mixed group of well dressed males and females while a map of Namola and its surrounding countries was projected on a large screen.

Before Daniel could fathom what was happening a tall good looking male came forward and held out his hand. ‘Good morning Dr Zibu, I’m Brian Reynolds and these are my fellow directors.’ He then led Daniel around and introduced him to the various directors.

Lana was particularly intrigued when Dr Zibu was introduced to Justine Strang. For once the Chairman appeared to be lost for words and actually awestruck by the doctor and Lana could well appreciate why. Zibu was beautiful with his African looks; tall and broad shouldered with the far seeing eyes of the hunter, yet the hand that gripped hers was long fingered and soft, the hands of a surgeon.

As he passed on to be introduced to the others, Lana turned to Suzie who stood beside her and nodded in Justine’s direction.

Suzie grinned broadly as she too saw the look of rapture on their young friend’s face. She placed her hands over her heart and mimicked a swooning adolescent, which caused Lana to let out a soft giggle and caused heads to turn in their direction.

Forcing themselves to recover their dignity, the two women turned serious on the outside while maintaining their delight internally.

When Daniel Zibu was introduced to Ali and Nori Akuba he was delighted to find that they had recently returned from Namola. ‘I haven’t been able to go back there in years,’ he explained unhappily.

Also present was Rod Taylor, The Fund’s Chief of Operations and his Field Agents’, Sam Tait and Bree Lake. Added to these were several members of The Fund’s newly formed research teams, whose principal job was to obtain whatever background information they could regarding the areas in which The Fund were expressing interest. These teams had been assembled as a result of the failure of their initial attempts in the refugee camps in Namola and consisted of recent university graduates in various fields, including geopolitical studies and modern history.

Finally, Daniel Zibu was led to a comfortable chair facing the assembled group who waited, pens poised, for the interrogation to begin.

Brian Reynolds began, ‘To make things as easy as possible for you, I’ve asked that anyone who has a question to write it down and pass it to me. That way we hope that things will flow more easily. I will open proceedings by noting that we are interviewing Dr Daniel Zibu, a trauma surgeon from Guy’s Hospital and a citizen of Namola. He is the son of Chand Zibu a former leader of an opposition movement in Namola. When President Joseph Lattua found out about the movement, Chand Zibu was brought down along with his associates. Is that correct so far?’

‘Yes, but what has that to do with anything? I thought you wanted to ask me about medical matters?’

‘I’m afraid you misinterpreted our request Dr Zibu. We need your expertise as a citizen of Namola, not as a surgeon,’ said Nori Akuba gently. ‘The Fund has interests in your homeland and we need detailed background information to ensure our further success. I’m so sorry if we didn’t make ourselves clear.’

‘What sort of interests?’

‘It seems that President Lattua is in the habit of taking whatever he desires if it lies within his borders. To stop him stealing from us a second time we need to know how to structure our projects. Your knowledge is vital in that regard.’

Daniel Zibu snorted derisively, ‘The only way that you could possibly keep anything away from that greedy bastard would be to overthrow him.’

Brian nodded, ‘That has been raised as a possibility. Not one that we as a charity would contemplate. We are not revolutionaries.’

‘Besides,’ added Toby Brown, ‘If Lattua was removed, there’s no reason to believe that whoever replaces him will be any better. At least Lattua is not conducting mass extermination of the populace as some of his neighbours seem to be intent on doing.’

Daniel Zibu nodded in agreement, ‘Yes, he’s a much ‘nicer’ dictator than most but his record of abuse grows every day.’

‘In what way?’

‘Neglect would be the first charge. Every day the country is spiralling toward economic ruin. Simple day-to-day luxuries have become out of the reach of the ordinary man in the street. Soon my people will also begin to run out of the necessities of life and when they do, hundreds and then thousands will die. It will be mass murder by other means.’

‘How did this come about?’

Daniel Zibu spoke about current matters and confirmed what Sam and Bree had already told them. ‘The regional Governors are told how much they must collect in taxes for the central government office in Lobacra. Anything over and above that amount is for the Governor to keep. Not only is it supposed to be used to run the province but to repair and maintain the infrastructure. Lattua increases the sum to be raised each year leaving less and less for the Governors to do their work. More often than not the Governors simply give up and keep the excess funds without doing any of the necessary work. Then the infrastructure breaks down and the people find it more and more difficult to earn their living and pay their taxes. Then the Governors have to press harder to get the taxes necessary to pay Lattua. It keeps going around and around, year after year, getting steadily worse as time goes on.’

‘The crash is not far off?’ asked Brian.

‘My father certainly thought so, yes.’

‘And that’s why he tried to set up an opposition party?’

‘Yes.’

‘What happened?’

‘They were betrayed. Probably from within and probably for money, I don’t think there was only one traitor because several of his former allies now hold positions of power in the country.’

Rod Taylor interjected, ‘I’d like a list of those people if possible Dr Zibu,’ and Daniel Zibu nodded in his direction, ‘I’ll give you what I can remember when we’re finished here.’

‘What happened to your father?’

‘After killing my entire family and all my father’s associates, he let my father go free but refused to allow him to leave the country. Namola is to be his prison until the day he dies. I don’t know where he is at present. He could be anywhere. They thought I had been killed with the rest of my family and my life would be at risk if I returned or tried to contact him. The last I was told he was doing a menial job somewhere in the countryside. I’m told that Lattua keeps a very close eye on him to make sure that no one offers him any means of support. Lattua wants him alive as an example to others.’

‘And that’s why you can’t return and practice in Namola?’

‘I would dearly love to return home and help my people, but there is no way that I can. Some day I hope to help him escape, but that will take a great deal of money and planning.’

‘So you’re stuck in England?’

‘Yes, but Namola is still my home. I will return some day.’

‘What does your wife think about that?’ asked Justine.

Lana and Suzie smirked at the girl’s obvious question, causing their husbands to look in their direction.

Oblivious to the joke Daniel Zibu replied candidly, ‘There is no Mrs Zibu I’m afraid. There seems to be a shortage of eligible Namolan women even in such a cosmopolitan city as London.’

His answer brought a bright smile to Justine’s lips and a pair of further smirks from Lana and Suzie.

‘We seem to be getting off the track here,’ commented Brian Reynolds dryly. ‘I’m the one who is supposed to be doing the interview,’ and he resumed his questions, ‘Now then Dr Zibu, if we could locate your father, would he be willing to speak to us?’

‘As I said before, Lattua keeps a close watch on him. If you were able to find him and talk to him, it would have to be in the most circumspect way.’

‘I think we have the right person in Namola at the moment to do that.’

‘He’d have to be extremely vigilant.’

‘Oh I’m sure he will be,’ Brian consulted a list of questions that had been handed to him. ‘One of our people would like to know how the regional Governors are selected, and if they can they choose which province they are sent to govern?’

‘Money,’ replied Daniel, ‘It all comes down to money. You pay Lattua the current price and he will award you with a province. Pay enough money and you may even be able to select the province you want.’

‘How does he enforce the collection of taxes?’

‘Through the army. General Thomas Lattua is always ready to jump to his brother’s call to arms. As it becomes harder and harder for the people to meet their tax burden then increasingly it has to be done at the end of a rifle.’

‘So, if we attempt to outsmart one Lattua, we also need to outsmart the other.’

‘Absolutely!’

Brian turned to the next question and his brow knotted when he read it. Obviously it had come from one of the new recruits and one from the anthropological realms of university. ‘Could you tell us how important the ancient legends are to your average Namolan?’ he asked.

Daniel Zibu gave a short laugh. ‘Like all educated Namolans I was also brought up on the stories of the ancient past. As children we are taught the stories of the gods and how they created the world in which we now live. The stories are important for many reasons. They teach us what to grow, when to plant, and how to best care for our stock. All vital to the well being of the country and it’s continued sustainable use.’

‘However,’ he continued. ‘If you ask an educated Namolan he will tell you that he is far too educated to believe in the ancient mysteries. Science has replaced the old legands but if you attempted to go against the old teachings you would soon find invisible barriers placed in your path. As long as modern science and ancient stories travel the same path, no such barriers appear.’

‘That is how the modern well-educated Namolan thinks. For the less educated, the old ways are the only ways. For them modern science has brought many wonders but only because the ancient gods have allowed it to be so.’

Brian asked, ‘So, no matter how educated the person, and how much they claim to be of a modern, scientific mind there will always be a part of them in which superstition lingers?’

In answer to the question Daniel loosened his tie and undid his shirt top. Reaching inside he pulled out a length of leather that hung around his neck and into which several small brightly coloured feathers had been inserted. ‘This was a gift from my mother to keep me safe, feathers from a hen to her chick.’

‘You don’t feel embarrassed to be wearing it?’ asked Brian.

‘Do you feel embarrassed when someone throws spilt salt over their shoulder, or a famous footballer insists on placing his right sock and boot on before his left, or the rather strange delight in finding a four-leafed clover? At least our superstitions have a practical purpose.’

Brian laughed, ‘I see your point. I’ll move on to my next question. What is the relationship between Lattua and the international mining companies in Namola?’

‘I haven’t any recent knowledge but they used to regard him like the rest of the world did. A despot, but one who could appreciate the efforts they were putting into the development of his country. They regard him as a money hungry dictator who’s no worse than several others and possibly better than many.’

‘Better the devil you know.’

‘Correct. With no viable alternative they’ll do his bidding and reap their profits. He charges them exorbitant taxes but they build that cost into the prices they charge at the marketplace. If they’re attacked for dealing with a man like Lattua all they have to say is that no one else is doing anything about the state of affairs in his country so why should they go out of their way to stir up trouble.’

‘Meanwhile he continues to get away with murder.’

Daniel nodded, ‘And with no opposition he will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.’

‘Unless someone decides to stand up against him,’ replied Justine with a degree of righteous indignation.

Daniel opened the palms of his hands to the audience, ‘One man cannot do it alone and the minute Lattua suspects there are opposing forces uniting against him he will crush them as brutally as he has done in the past.’

Brian looked around at the assembled group. ‘I have a number of further questions here for Dr Zibu but I don’t want to keep him from his duties. With his permission I’d like to call him back at a later date. That way we can further refine our line of questioning. Is that agreeable for you Doctor?’

‘I’d be delighted to help my beleagured country in any way I can.’

***

The brain-storming session broke up for drinks while Daniel Zibu was escorted back to his limousine by Brian and Lana.

‘I’m not used to travelling in such style. The Tube is my usual method of transport.’

‘Well, we couldn’t have you catching the train all the way out here and then getting lost among the country lanes. You could have wandered for hours.’

‘With such an exceptional landmark as your headquarters, I doubt if I would have lost my way.’

Brian opened the rear door for him.

‘My fellow doctors at Guy’s will be suitably impressed when I am delivered to the door in this car. For a charity, your organisation seems to be unusually well off.’

Lana smiled, ‘When you get to know us better you’ll come to realise that we are a rather unusual charity.’

‘I’m looking forward to that.’

As the limousine pulled away, Brian said, ‘He seems to be a rather nice chap, very down to earth.’

‘Yes. Justine thinks so.’

‘What! How do you know?’

Lana smiled at her husband and left the question hanging in the air.

***

Following the break, the conference resumed with Rod Taylor now taking the lead.

‘From what we’ve learned so far, I’d say we have problems on several fronts, with the main one being, ‘How do we deal with President Lattua?’

Toby nodded, ‘Do we give in to him and buy our way back into the country, or do we continue to pass the funds to other charities so that they can do our work for us?’

Brian replied, ‘We could maintain the funding to other charities but their aims and ours are different. As soon as our refugees are out of danger then most of the other charities will be off to the next hot-spot, whereas we’re seeking much more long-term goals.’

Rod continued: ‘So we need to find a way for The Fund to infiltrate the country and set up a permanent presence without Lattua being aware of us. We’ll mark that down as Goal One.’

‘We have the military in our camp. Can we do anything about that?’ asked Suzie.

‘We’re not in any sort of a position to take on an army. The only way that we will be able to recover our property back will be through political pressure. Getting into a position where we can exert that sort of pressure will be Goal Two.’

‘What about the future for the country as a whole? Does it have one?’ asked Toby.

‘It looks like a basket case at the moment and will get worse by the day. At least it hasn’t gone down the path of total anarchy yet so I think it can be turned around. All it will take will be for someone of good will to lead the way.’

‘So Goal Three will be for us to find such a person,’ declared Brian.

‘What about Daniel Zibu?’ asked Justine.

‘He’s a bit young. Perhaps we can convince his father to return to politics,’ said Rod.

‘Not if he’s being kept under close watch by Lattua. His own life and anyone he talks to will be at risk,’ answered Bree Lake.

‘Well, it looks as though finding the right man for the job will remain Goal Three.’

‘Or woman,’ piped up Justine.

‘Or woman,’ agreed Rod. He wrote the three goals on the whiteboard. ‘These will be our basic aims. Can anyone think of any others?’

‘Just one thing,’ said Toby, ‘What’s our budget to be on this project? From where I’m sitting it looks as though millions won’t cover it.’

‘You’re right of course. Can we afford to take on a project this complicated?’

‘Well we certainly have the money, but the question is whether we may be wasting it by trying to save Namola and the refugees,’ said Brian.

‘I, for one, believe it’s worth the money and the effort,’ said Justine forcefully.

‘I think we all agree that we have to try something but how long do we continue to throw money at the problem before we decide that enough is enough?’

Lana thought back to a previous difficult project, ‘Why don’t we get the Namolans to fund their own project?’

Brian looked at his wife, ‘That was obviously a rhetorical question. Tell us what’s on your devious mind.’

‘I was just thinking about our run-in with Harry Soh and how we ‘liberated’ the funds he had squirreled away overseas. Lattua has done the same and it rightfully belongs to the Namolan nation. Why don’t we find out where he’s hidden it and give it back to the people who earned it in the first place?’

Rod smiled as he wrote, ‘Goal Four. Locate Lattua’s funds’, before stepping back and surveying the list. Turning back to the assembled group he said brighlty. ‘There’s a lot of work to be done here and I think my agents and I would be best at working on the military problem.’

‘Nori and I have met some of the Namolan hierarchy. We’ll work on trying to find a suitable person to lead the nation back to prosperity,’ said Ali.

‘I think Toby and I are devious enough to work on Goal one,’ said Suzie.

‘Goal number four was my idea, so I’d like to work on that,’ said Lana, turning to her husband. Brian nodded in agreement.

‘Well that leaves nothing for me to do,’ said Justine, ‘I would normally be very cross about that but I have a few thoughts of my own and I think I might be popping in to see all of you at some time.’

‘You’re taking on a roving commission then?’ offered Brian

‘Yes. Something like that,’ she replied quietlywith a faraway look in her eyes.

‘She’s up to something,’ Nori whispered to her husband as the assembly broke up to pursue their various goals, ‘And I believe it may involve a very handsome doctor,’ she smiled.