Storm

Land has not just of economic importance, but has also a profound spiritual value as well. Owning a piece, often however small, is psychologically satisfying in the sense that it gives an individual a sense of belonging. For this reason landlessness and being a squatter on what was hitherto native land is one of the most traumatic effects of colonialism in Africa and other parts of the world. Even then, with new tenure systems, the problem persisted after independence, only somewhat decreasing on scale after independence. Nafula is a young woman living in a village that is close to an urban centre. Her family and others in the village love on parcels of land which they have not finished paying for. Now the land-buying company in charge of purchase and allocation wants all its members to pay up or give up their holdings. Nafula’s family cannot raise the money right away and so is faced with a real threat of landlessness. She is a beautiful, sociable lady and a leading attraction among menfolk. Rivalry over her, the threat that faces some of the families, as well as a spate of squatter riots in some of the giant farms in the area are gathering. The storm gathers in people’s personal lives, the immediate community and also the whole country, touching on survival, peace and governance, asking questions of historical injustices and evolving socio-economic problems, in a startling way.