Alkebulan: An Excerpt

“I must emphasize that while the Whitians tried to strike a deal with some of our species, they failed to convince others. It was no secret that Sene of the Land of the Spoonbill and Civ of the Land of the Elephants became puppets of the Whitians. However, N’fa Kankan of Futa, N’fa Bamba of Segou, Nana Kojo of the Land of Cocoa, and Musomesa Mukisa continued our fight for liberty. And some amount of liberty was achieved. But then ...” Suddenly, Bai Bala stopped giving his speech and squinted his eyes. He looked up and cocked his ears. The other chimpanzees followed suit. One could tell by Bai Bala’s squint that his mind was literally racing. Whenever he was juggling thoughts, he narrowed his eyes. The more cluttered his mind, the narrower his eyes became. He heard the drone of a helicopter. Alarmed, Bai Bala stood up and started vocalizing threat barks. Every one of the chimpanzees started doing the same as they tumbled down the branches of the corkwood trees. Then, all hell was let loose as a helicopter opened rapid gunfire on them. They scrambled to take cover, trying to save their lives. The forest became smoky and dusty. The grunts of the dying and the screams of the living could be heard. In the ensuing mayhem, Bai Bala, Musomesa Natukunda, Musomesa Kalule and Odongo were shot dead among others. There were rumours that it was meant to be a warning to those who were determined to regain their liberty from the domineering aliens. Later, history was written by the victors who claimed that they had dispatched the helicopter gunship from Delagoa with orders from Frensch to annihilate all living chimpanzees in Alkebulan.