The full story, though still somewhat abridged edition, goes like this...
In July 2010 a bulldozer and crew came to Mundri with the intention of clearing new roads. They cleared several new paths along the dirt trodden ways. Many of the paths went through people's compounds and some homes were lost in the process. (Unfortunately, this was all done during rainy season, and no follow-up or care was done after the bulldozing. So today those 'roads' are there, but they are more like huge craters, potholes, mud pits, vehicle-suck-you-in-and-never-let-you-go traps.)
One new road, not far from my home, went by the compound of a 'very powerful man with special abilities', or more commonly known as what westerners would call a witch doctor. He is also a high-ranking military official. When the bulldozer came near to this man's home, he warned them not to knock down a huge sycamore tree that was on his compound. He told the workers that if they knocked down the tree, there would be severe consequences, as the tree had special powers. Well, despite the warnings, the workers bulldozed through the path in effort to continue the road, uprooting the tree.
Some few days later, after the tree was uprooted, the bulldozer broke (which I can verify as being true, as I saw it sitting on the side of the road last year, broken). The man driving the bulldozer left Mundri, heading to Juba in search of spare parts for the bulldozer. Supposedly, the man has never been seen or heard from since.
The witch doctor claims that he had a very special snake, also with special powers. This was a very unusual snake, as it had a breast like that of a woman. The snake's powers were somehow connected with the tree, and when the tree died the snake also died.
Fast forward to this year, July 2011...
Normally rains start in April in Mundri and are relatively consistent until September or October. However, this year the rains never really came. It rained a very little bit at the end of May, but it only rained three times in June, and never very hard or long. Most people had planted their gardens, primarily consisting of maize and ground nuts, the last week of May, believing that finally rainy season had come. But then the rains stopped, and as of a few days ago most peoples' gardens were on the brink of complete ruin, as the scorched maize was wilting under the intense heat, and the groundnuts were literally baking in the ground.
Mundri is a very agriculturalist society, as most people depend on their gardens for food and livelihood. The lost of their gardens could literally lead to famine and much despair.
Four days ago there was a meeting in town, involving most of the local chiefs, government officials, and other high-ranking individuals. At this meeting they discussed why the rains had failed to come, and what they could do to make the rains return. At this meeting, the witch doctor professed that he had stopped the rains because his sacred, powerful tree and snake had been killed last year. (It is also believed by many that the man driving the bulldozer was killed by the witch doctor through some type of 'accident' or incident.)
The witch doctor agreed to make the rains come again, if two specific things were done. First, a young, black goat would need to be slaughtered where the tree had been. Second, two bags of cement must be purchased and given to the witch doctor so that a gravestone could be built for the snake.
The community leaders agreed to the man's request, and many gave money to buy the goat and cement.
The goat was slaughtered two days ago in the morning. Later that day a heavy, drenching, earth soaking rain came, preceded by abnormally powerful winds and deafening lightening. It also rained yesterday, and it looks like it could rain again today...
To be continued...
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