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February 21, 2008
The Yellowcake Conspiracy
Three shots sounded and the van’s back right tyre exploded beneath them.
‘We Fulani have a proverb,’ said Haroun. ‘Walaa hiraande hadataa jemma warde. Even if dinner is not ready, night still falls.’
‘Meaning?’
‘I will continue the mission. I have no choice.’
Remy picked up the sat-phone and dialled.
‘This is Pigeon,’ he said. ‘My cover is blown. Agent H will continue the mission alone.’
The Yellowcake Conspiracy is one of those “unputdownable page-turners” that we hear so much about. Aimed at teenage boys, it will keep enthralled anyone who refuses to grow up.
But the author, my colleague Steve Davies, has also created a unique cocktail by mixing the excitement of the modern thriller into the traditional cultures of West Africa, with which he is so familiar. Desert nomads unite with modern technology as proverb-wielding Fulani herder Haroun joins forces with French spy Remy to frustrate Tuareg fighters attacks on Niger’s uranium mine. The “yellowcake” of the title is a key ingredient in the production of nuclear bombs, and the chase is on…
Secret messages are passed along by traditional Tuareg “tifinagh” script or by cryptic SMS messages. The bad guys come out of the desert but meet to talk in internet chat rooms and dating sites, and auction their wares through an online market. The heroes block uranium convoys with their cows before planting a gps tracker on the trucks.
I can’t wait to see the film version. I have several Fulani friends who, I am sure, would be willing to be cast in the role of Haroun…
You can read the first chapter here. Then go ahead and buy the book.
A real-life yellowcake conspiracy?
Written in 2006, the book has developed a sort of prophetic quality, since several of its central fictional themes have since become reality.
The real-life Second Tuareg Rebellion started in 2007, creating the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ). They have mounted attacks on the Niger military and have recently threatened the uranium mines. The rebels come from tiny towns in the Sahara desert, but are “extremely savvy in their use of technology, using the internet to communicate with each other and with the outside world”. They even have their own blog.
As Steve points out, the question is less clear as to whether the Tuareg rebels in Niger are freedom-fighters as they claim, or mere bandits, as dismissed by the Niger government. What is clear is that currently the north of Niger is unsafe, with each side accusing the other of laying mines and killing civilians. Missionaries and others have been withdrawn, and our own team are unable to head back to their place of work.
Please pray for peace, and for justice in finding a solution to the problems there. Thank you.
Tags: africa niger tuareg uranium yellowcake conspiracy yellowcake conspiracy tuareg rebellion
Posted by Keith at February 21, 2008 07:34 AM
