Sahara

by Oscar Luis Rigiroli

  One of the elders asked Cristian to tell them about his birthplace, education, experience and means of life. In the course of the meeting, the tension that dominated Cristian at its beginning commenced yielding as he perceived that he was properly answering the questions that were asked him. This was something typical in the young man: initial uncertainty product of his innate shyness being displaced by progressive self-control as he let his natural intelligence solve one by one all difficulties and snares that were presented to him. Cristian looked with the corner of his eye to Ousmar to check if he looked satisfied, but the face of the African was impenetrable; he realized that Djalali was also tense, since he was being tried at the same time for having brought to the meeting that stranger.

  The inside of the tent began to fill with smoke product of burning pipes, so that several of the men exhibited fans.

  One of the young men with a warrior-like appearance who had remained silent until then suddenly asked.

  “Do you have any military training? Are you familiar handling weapons? Have you ever been in combat?”

  Cristian reminded Zoubaida´s phrase in relation with enemies lurking around the tribe, and readily realized the importance of the issue. So he opted to reply with total sincerity.

  “I have no experience whatsoever in combat. Military service was abolished in my country many years ago and we have not had wars. I have only participated in fisticuffs quarrels when I was a boy.”

  He felt that the response had been appropriate for some assents of the elderly.

  Thereafter, the meeting became more social and not so focused on the figure of Cristian. The men began to withdraw from the store and talking on the outside under the Sun.

  The young man waited until Ousmar stood up and followed him silently into the house.

  The next day Zoubaida returned from a short trip to some relative’s house and faced her boyfriend.

  “I have news on the outcome of yesterday's meeting.”

  “Did your father tell you something?”

  “It is not how the thing works here. My mother drew it out form my father and I drew it from her.”

  “Everything is structured here.” Cristian added with impatience. “Well, ultimately, how was it?”

  “You made a good impression because you spoke with sincerity and the most important thing for them was to determine if you have a hidden agenda. Competencies that they assign you with respect to work honestly are acceptable. The loose point is, as you supposed your lack of military preparation, in a contentious environment. It is not acceptable in the husband of a Princess. You'll be very close to the tribe center of power.”

  “Then they reject me?”

  “They are much wiser than that. They will correct the fault.”....

  “How is that?”

  “Giving you a military training course.”

  “Do they have a course?”

  “What they do have is a coach. Actually he is the military leader of the ethnicity: Haroun. He is the warrior who questioned you about your military skills.”

  “He has a fearsome appearance, with his hand always on the scimitar.”

  “He is effective in what he does. But I must warn you of something.”

  “What about.”

  “Haroun was the man who wanted to marry me when I left Chad.”

  “In other words I'm going to put my neck in the hands of a jealous rival?”

  Zoubaida laughed loudly and as she did regularly expelled the state of tension out of the scene.

  “No, no. That was a long time ago. Now he has married well and has his family. In fact I don't know if he has more than one wife so I'm glad I ran away from him fifteen years ago.” And then added with roguery. “You should nevertheless take care of your throat. Who knows what will be his attitude towards the man who got his old love pregnant?

  The relationship with Haroun was good from the beginning. He didn't make any mention of the past, and focused on testing Cristian combat skills. He made him practice something of close range fighting with the bare hands and knives. Then he continued with a basic training in weapons, beginning with old Tuareg carbines up to some more modern rifles. At one point Haroun told him.

  “I see that you learn quickly and have good natural aim. My biggest question is about your attitude when you have to aim to kill or cut a gorge.”

  “I wonder if that time will ever come.”

  “In our country and your future position is question is not if but when.” Replied somberly Haroun.

  Several weeks after Cristian had started his military training, Zoubaida asked for his relationship with Haroun.

  “As you can see, I still have my neck in a piece, and I think that unpredictably we have certain sympathy for each other. He is some twenty years my senior and treats me as a nephew or something. As military adviser is certainly efficient, the clan is in good hands.

  CHAPTER 6

  Haroun was waiting for him at the North exit of the village, i.e. oriented towards the Sahel semi-desert area. Bedouin wearing a long tunic accompanied them with three Saharan camels.

  “Hello Haroun.” Greeted Cristian intrigued for certain changes he had perceived. “What do we have today?”

  “We will suspend for a day your training with weapons, taking advantage of the presence here of my friend Hassan.” Haroun made a gesture towards the cameleer, who smiled showing his toothless mouth “Hassan will lend us two of his beasts for the day.”

  After the difficult ascent to the camel Cristian and Haroun rode in silence, while the young man was trying to balance his weight on the animal and made a vain effort to guide it. After a while he desisted convinced that the beast was limited to follow the camel rode by Haroun.

  Only after they had traveled about one mile Haroun broke the silence, talking to the young man from one camel to the other.

  “I know Hassan since I was a kid, he taught me everything there is on camels and the desert.”

  “And who is Hassan?” Asked Cristian. “A desert guide or something like that?

  “Not exactly. He is a former caravan robber, who was in activity until in a fight with the French Foreign Legion in what´s now the Central African Republic he was seriously injured. He is currently dedicated to smuggling and trafficking in persons.”

  “I see. A pillar of the community.”

  “He knows the Sahara and this intermediate area like few others. If you were looking for water in the desert you would want to be with him.”

  A new period of silence while the camels raffled a rocky area that offered some difficulties.

  “One of my wives has heard that you're going to marry Zoubaida, and the child she is carrying is a male.”

  “So it is.”

  “I congratulate you, but something inside me would have wanted that that child was mine.” He looked to Cristian and laughed. “Don’t worry, that is a very old story. Ousmar Djalali should be exultant, although I do not expect he will exteriorize it. His first grandchild! Zoubaida must have explained you the political importance of the news.”

  “Yes, although I do not share your dynastic ramblings.

  New laughter of Haroun.

  “Make sure Ousmar never hears you saying that.” He said very seriously however.

  Cristian had already realized for some time that Haroun was not a simple warrior but an intelligent man, broad minded like few others in the village and was glad of having him a friend and advisor. He and Zoubaida were the only ones with whom he dared to speak with sincerity.

  “Don't worry, will do it.”

  After another short stretch Haroun changed the subject.

  “Did Zoubaida speak with you about our customs and traditions for weddings?”

  “No, is there something I should know?”

  “About the rite I am the wrong man to explain it to you, but there is one issue that I want you to know. It's what you would call the dowry. Tradition calls for the family of the bridegroom, or the same boyfriend, to ma
ke a gift to the bride's family.” In fact her father.”

  “You mean something symbolic?”

  “Nooo! Something very concrete, usually cattle and in direct relation to the value of the bride, which in the case of Zoubaida is very high. We are talking about cows, horses or camels.”

  “As you can imagine, I am not in a position to give a hen. And without this requirement the wedding cannot be performed?”

  “Usually not. But don't worry, that's why I bring this subject up.”

  “And why should I not worry?”

  “Because I'm going to give you the dowry that you are going to give to Ousmar.”

  “I cannot accept that! It would be abusing of your generosity. You already are doing enough for me filling my voids in the military field.”

  “No problem, I come from one of the richest families of our tribe. This will not affect me financially. In addition, I am already doing an investment in you.”

  Cristian meditated in silence for a while. He had already seen gestures of generosity among the people of the desert but this exceeded his expectation.

  “I am very thankful Haroun. I hope someday I will return you the value of the dowry.”

  “In no way. A favor is returned with another, not with cash.”

  They followed in silence. The young man was immersed in deep meditation, product of new life experiences to which he was exposed to every day. It suddenly appeared a thought that had a long incubating inside, and that still had a diffuse way. Cristian had a self-examination capacity unusual in people of his age, which helped him to make clear his feelings to himself. Contact with the village of his bride was rewarding to him and he could recognize that a sense of belonging was developing in him. Despite the different valuations on a myriad of topics such as the role of women, the peace, the independence of each individual with respect to their ethnicity and so many others his admiration for the courage, hospitality, dignity, generosity and sense of availability had seized his heart. Haroun´s offer had touched him, and was incompatible with the materialistic, cold and calculating society that Cristian came from and to which he had adapted to the point of having lived of women. A cold current of embarrassment ran through his back.

  The wedding began as a private act between the families of both parties. In the case of Zoubaida the present were her parents, Charfadine, her uncles and cousins, including a score of people, all richly dressed in costumes and multicolored tunics of a remarkable visual richness; the Djalalis were wealthy and had the necessity of exhibiting their wealth at that special event, primarily by the political relevance of Ousmar in the village and beyond. In the absence of the Cristian´s genetic family only Haroun was accompanying him, dressed in his warrior finery. The groom wore all that he owned in accordance with traditions. Zoubaida was veiled and hidden at the beginning of the ceremony as required by the rite. The first phase was the delivery of the dowry from the groom's family to that of the bride, which Haroun materialized in the form of fifty excellent cows which were inspected one by one by Ousmar and one of his brothers. As the protocol demanded Ousmar showed not very satisfied but his brother finally convinced him of the quality of the gift. The dowry was therefore adopted, so the wedding previous requirement was fulfilled.

  Then arose an animist shaman dressed with bundles of straw and with his face painted with ritual signs, who made several spells in an ancient dialect, asking the great universal spirit by the long life of the intending spouses and the fertility of the couple and their flocks. Just at that time the bride appeared and was unveiled by her father. Zoubaida could not hide the intense emotion that was upon her. She was dressed in a white tunic with gold appliqué, which quite conceal the pregnancy.

  By consecutive three times the shaman asked if she agreed to her marriage and three times she replied affirmatively. Then Haroun gave Cristian a ring that the later placed on Zoubaida´s finger ring. The wedding had taken place, Zoubaida and Cristian were spouses.

  In fact, the wedding itself was rather a process than an act. Three days lasted the celebrations, in the course of which practically all members of the ethnic group, even the very old and those who resided in very distant villages, were presented to bless the couple, bring their opulent or modest gifts and greet the tribal chief and his wife. The wedding not only met its social and family role, but it was an important political act, which welded the union of the ethnicity and the links between its members. Old local feuds were buried and the community spirit reinforced. Ousmar Djalali and his wife were radiant. An aspiration long delayed by the prolonged absence of their eldest daughter had been fulfilled in the brightest possible way.

  The echoes of the wedding lasted for several weeks, in which even families from remote villages that had not reached the ceremony for various reasons visited them.

  In the meantime, Zoubaida and her husband had moved to a small house on in the extreme south the periphery of the village, bordering a few groves of acacia and other trees. The housing consisted of three rooms, the largest which served as living room and dining room. A couple of women of the tribe went daily to clean and cook since Zoubaida was quite limited in her movements due to the pregnancy.

  Three times a week Haroun and Cristian met to continue with the training, which had in fact become an exercise for both. One day they had interned more than usual in the desert area located north of the town. They were exercising the close range fight techniques where usually Cristian received a good thrashing, when he realized that Haroun had stopped suddenly focusing his view on the Northern horizon. He followed his gaze and there, clearly cut above a dune located a good distance distinguished the silhouettes of three riders who in turn were watching them. Their robes waved with the wind and on their backs they could see the barrels of their rifles. The scene suggested nothing good and a warning light appeared in Cristian´s mind, particularly given the grim frown from his partner.

  Cristian cautiously approached the warrior and asked:

  “What Haroun? Who do you think they are?”

  “They are members of the Goran ethnic group who took over the country a generation ago and covered it with blood. They are Muslims and Arab allies; Although they themselves are of mixed blood they believe that blacks are only beasts of burden. They had never come as far south. I think that they are just explorers, but these men are bad news anyway.”

  The mood of the two men changed radically due to the omens the riders produced.

  “Do you prefer to retire?” Asked Cristian.

  “On the contrary. Let´s continue the fight drills, so they realize what they are going to find.”

  During the way back Haroun was absorbed in his thoughts and the young man respected his silence. When they approached the village the African said.

  “Do not talk with anyone about this. I will communicate it to Ousmar in person. He will decide what to do.”

  The next day one of the servants of the Djalali family approached the house of the couple and communicated Cristian that in the evening there would be a meeting in the ceremonial tent, without specifying the reason.

  “I'm surprised this meeting off agenda” Said Zoubaida “Do you have an idea on what it is about?”

  Cristian was cautious to answer but at the insistence of women responded.

  “I have I Haroun committed not to reveal this to anybody but your father, and I ask you to respect my commitment.”

  Zoubaida, good connoisseur of male codes did not insist thinking that in the long run she would learn what happened.

  The tent was full of the hierarchs of the tribe when Cristian arrived, who could sit on the ground, on one of the carpets in the fourth row of the audience.

  A strong buzz and the tobacco smoke filled the tent, and the prevailing climate was of concern. At a time Ousmar asked for silence and the voices stopped. The Chief explained that news had arrived, and although they were not worrying they still required the attention of attendees. Then Haroun started talking and although Cristian could follo
w with difficulty his speech in dialect, he understood that the warrior was narrating the display of the Saharans tribesmen in the desert. Then several characters, warriors and merchants, told their experiences of encounters, so far bloodless with Arabs and members of the tribe Goran in places where previously they were not seen, at least in the last decade.

  Once concluded the testimonies, the attendees turned to stay silent waiting to hear the words of the Chief of the tribe. Ousmar cleared his throat and began to outline the strategy that they would carry on. Haroun explained to Cristian the contents of the ruling once the meeting was over.

  Strong points with heavily armed permanent sentinels were to be established in the North access to the village. Patrols on horseback and camel were to delve in the Sahel to give the alarm in case of movements of potentially hostile troops. All available weapons would be seized, its operation would be controlled and they would be assigned to men in a position to make use of them; all young people would be subjected to a training military of the type that Haroun had performed with Cristian. Emissaries would come into contact with all the allied heads of villages to agree a strategy of mutual collaboration in case of attacks, and finally, spies were to be introduced in neighboring countries to monitor the political and military situation in each one of them and explore the escape routes for the population if the security situation continued worsening. Thus, Sudan, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic would be evaluated according to the guarantees that they would offer in case of an exodus towards each one of them. Each responsibility was assigned to a man of trust of the tribe. Haroun would be the coordinator of the patrols in the northern border, and Cristian was incorporated into his contingent that would be guarding the hottest spot, where the threats were likely to come from. The youngster asked his friend what would be the role of Ousmar, and the diffuse response he received suggested that first he would travel with unknown destination to make contact with the French, usually last resort guarantors of the animistic tribes against the warlords of the North.

  The young man admired the wisdom and leadership of his father-in-law and the respect that he inspired to his followers, and for the first time admitted that a leader was necessary in extreme situations.