Nkambe

A Synopsis of the Short Stories
Kola nuts have been talking and settling land disputes, uniting the people for so many years until a war veteran, Japri came back from the Great War from the white man's land, started seizing land and raffia bushes that do not belong to him, and rejects the judgment passed by the "talking kola nuts". This ushers in an endless tug of war between the farmers and the cattle rearers. The mainstream Chua Chua is getting dry, and drinking water is scarce. Dogo, an ex-prisoner cum environmentalist, comes with a radical, insane slogan, "No Chua Chua, No Nkambe; No Nile, No Egypt," clashes with Wanda and his traditional hunters. The administration is battling to solve these problems when Lake Nyos in a neighboring tribe explodes with devastating consequences on humans, cattle, and the environment.
The administration, modernists, and traditionalists are at crossroads. Scary faces appear at night; rumors of a ghost emerging in vengeance on the people because of a New Market constructed on its shrines. Unprecedented drought is looming in the harsh harmattan. Pagans instill fear amongst the Christians who have heard that Christmas will be postponed from an undisclosed source rumored to be a chief gossiper (Mami Kongossa), the rumormonger the women have vowed to arrest and send to jail. Her vile mouth is behind all conflicts in the village. She says young girls (ngwangu barah) want ready-made husbands and young boys are lazy (Big 7), want white-collar jobs. A silent war is waged (the ugly vs. the beautiful). One of the young men (Akambou) hits a jackpot in a game of chance but squanders all and goes insane. On the hills nearby an American veterinarian is given the highest traditional title by Nfuh, a war lodge, a general (nformi) for revamping cattle rearing. A few weeks later, good news is heard that the first president of the country is visiting Nkambe, the divisional headquarters. More than two hundred villages are set to give him a memorable reception with pomp, joy, and dance with great hopes for a bright future but little changes after the visit.