Insurrection—Democracy Under Attack!

By Mmoloki Moreo

In a world teetering on the brink of chaos, Insurrection – Democracy Under Attack! boldly explores the urgent need to preserve and defend democracy by upholding the sanctity of election outcomes: a timely message delivered through a captivating allegory featuring anthropomorphic characters.

Enter the world of Bimbo, an insatiable and power-hungry political leader whose unbridled narcissism blinds him to the true essence of democracy. Only when election results align with his interests does he grudgingly accept them. However, when the people’s will takes a different course, Bimbo’s fury knows no bounds. Rallying his zealous followers, he descends into the abyss of violence, striving desperately to cling to the presidency of Mukwa Island, regardless of the electorate’s verdict.

As anger consumes him, Bimbo shreds the nation’s constitution and reduces the parliament to ashes. Yet, hope emerges in the form of Captain Eagle, a symbol of true leadership, who emerges victorious in the elections and leads a courageous uprising against Bimbo and his loyalists. In the face of unwavering unity and the resilience of democracy, Bimbo’s grip on power crumbles, and he and his followers are forced to flee Mukwa Island, paving the way for the restoration of democracy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Dec 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398426085

Mmoloki Moreo

Mmoloki Moreo was born in Serowe on 4 April 1971. He is a graduate of the University of Botswana where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities in 1997. He furthered his studies with Atlantic International University (USA) in 2021, where he studied Masters in Educational Management and Leadership. In 2023, he enrolled for a PHD in Education with Atlantic International University. Mmoloki Moreo is currently employed as a school head at Sir Seretse Khama Junior Secondary School in Gaborone, Botswana. He worked previously as a teacher in a number of secondary schools in Botswana where he taught the English language. Moreo is a prolific and enterprising writer who presents contemporary issues facing the world in fiction form. Insurrection—Democracy Under Attack is Mmoloki Moreo’s second novel. His first novel was entitled Jaws of Evil and it was published in 2021.

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About the Author

Mmoloki Moreo was born in Serowe on 4 April 1971. He is a graduate of the University of Botswana where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities in 1997. He furthered his studies with Atlantic International University (USA) in 2021, where he studied Masters in Educational Management and Leadership. In 2023, he enrolled for a PHD in Education with Atlantic International University. Mmoloki Moreo is currently employed as a school head at Sir Seretse Khama Junior Secondary School in Gaborone, Botswana. He worked previously as a teacher in a number of secondary schools in Botswana where he taught the English language. Moreo is a prolific and enterprising writer who presents contemporary issues facing the world in fiction form. Insurrection—Democracy Under Attack is Mmoloki Moreo’s second novel. His first novel was entitled Jaws of Evil and it was published in 2021.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to all the leaders who step down when their term of office is over. I further dedicate it to the leaders who do not want to continue ruling from the grave when they are no longer in power. Leaders who rule from the grave are no worse than those who deliberately cling to power and refuse to step down. This book pours scorn on leaders who deliberately turn their countries into private fiefdom and use their time in office to plunder state resources to line their pockets and those of their family members and cronies. Special dedication goes to Mo Ibrahim Foundation for continuing to promote peaceful transitions and peaceful transfer of power in Africa.

Copyright Information ©

Mmoloki Moreo 2023

The right of Mmoloki Moreo to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398419964 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398426085 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

I wish to thank Austin Macauley Publishers for giving me a second chance to publish my second novel. I am thankful and indebted to the publisher for nurturing and promoting my talent as a writer. The company has unearthed my talent and helped polish it at a time when most publishers had very little patience for obscure and unknown writers like myself.

Chapter 1

We, the lions are born natural leaders. This natural privilege cannot be contested! There is no need to elect leaders. If they are elected, what would they be elected for? Bimbo quizzed as he tossed his majestic gold mane from side to side with an exaggerated air of authority and self-importance. He winced and grimaced as though he was in pain, before casting a surreptitious glance at his timid audience. His menacing and hard, piercing stare glowed with rage and bore signs of death. He opened his cave like mouth wide open and revealed large swathes of red gums and sharp piecing canine teeth which formed what looked like a rusty jigsaw.

His right canine tooth appeared rusty, broken and lose. The broken tooth, bore a clear testament of his violent past. A litany of scars which tattooed his face, some as deep as a canyon added to his conspicuously foreboding and menacing looks. He bleeped a couple of times and occasionally wiped his face with his scarred tongue. He constantly wagged his tail in a defiant and ferocious manner as though he was itching for a fight. Yellow and green flies occasionally swarmed, and nestled in his mouth which most of the time was agape. The more daring ones would go inside his nostril causing him to sneeze loudly and violently. These small creatures annoyed and irritated Bimbo, but he chose to ignore them all the same.

Standing at the height of one and half metres and weighing five hundred pounds, coupled with a gargantuan chest which resembled the chest of a weight lifter, Bimbo was by far the biggest lion in the whole of Mukwa Island. There was no doubt about it. His chest and limbs was a chunk of rippling muscles and hard thick bones. He boasted an expressionless serious looking face and hollow eyes which portrayed him as a merchant of death. At the slightest noise caused by the breaking twigs and dry leaves, his large ear flaps stood erect causing him to instantaneously and methodically inspect his surroundings for any possible infringement.

He cut a figure of a weight lifter or village wrestler who took a lot of steroids in order to look monstrous and scary. His paw was the size of a head of a fully grown man. With one strike, he could bring down a fully grown buffalo tumbling on the ground. With these strange and fearsome looks, Bimbo dominated the savanna grassland, rivers, rugged mountains and the dense tropical forest of the Mukwa Island with unchecked authority. The Oxpeckers which frequently perched on the back of Bimbo with the hope of finding ticks to eat, thereby ensuring that Bimbos royal garb was in a mint state all the time did not bother Bimbo at all.

How do you expect a small timid hare to lead me! Haahaahaa! Hahahaa! Bimbo, the oldest lion in the pride who also owned three quarter of Mukwa Island retorted and laughed sarcastically. He tore the ground with his sharp claws and kicked the dust backward, creating a large cloud of dust which hung momentarily in the air as he ranted. His sharp claws tore the arid, sun baked ground apart and left deep gorges and gaping holes. His rage left an indelible mark on the poor defenceless ground and his audience. The deep marks on the ground served as a constant reminder of what could befall anyone who would one day attempt to revolt or challenge his ‘divine’ authority. He flexed all his muscles and twerked his tail as he lampooned his audience with gibberish and self-praise. His muscles were visible from outside his aging scarred coat. The muscles threatened to rip the coat apart. He scrutinised everyone and zoomed closely into his audience with his fiery eyes to check if there was any visible resentment to what he had just said. It certainly would take bravery of gargantuan proportion for any of the animals in attendance to express resentment, let alone dream of doing such. At worst, such an indiscretion was viewed as suicidal and nothing stopped the thoughtless transgressor from paying for their wayward behaviour with their lives. All the animals in attendance sought refuge and sanctuary from silence and docility.

A big cloud of dust accompanied by dense dust particles floated in the air and chocked everyone who was in attendance as Bimbo unleashed his rage on the ground. The dust enveloped everyone and reduced visibility to zero. The poor animals sneezed and coughed terribly. The attendees hardly saw one another, as it was gloomy and dreary. The congregants appeared drowsy and disoriented. They looked like they had been sprayed with pepper spray or tear gas. The dust died down and he continued with his speech. An incensed buffalo, tongue hanging outside his mouth shot up from the ground in a bid to protest. He snorted, bellowed and hammered the dry ground with his hoofs before he spoke. The young, impetuous buffalo was visibly fed up with the gibberish that Bimbo had hitherto been spewing nonstop and his condescending attitude. The young buffalo created quite a stir. His actions were immediately followed by terrifying silence and a flurry of murmured questions.

Who is this one? Is he one of us or he is new in this village?

Does he know who he is taking to? A flurry of questions raced in the minds of the villagers who could not stand the sight of blood. Everyone crouched so low as though they were hugging the ground. Fear and trepidation engulfed everyone excerpt Bombshell, the young Buffalo. Bombshell was quickly restrained by a mature elephant called Big Joe. The peace loving, Big Joe admonished Bombshell and gave him a stern look of disapproval. The exuberant, thoughtless and ill-disciplined Bombshell heeded the mature Big Joe and saved his life from the inevitable apocalypse. Big Joe knew lions well and he was credited for sometimes managing their ferocious anger. The lions including Bimbo had a thin veiled respect for Big Joe. The drama which nearly ended tragically died down and the one man show continued.

The lions live on meat and blood. Meat and blood constitute our staple food! What does Captain Eagle with his foolish constitution think we will survive on? Does Eagle think we can eat grass and tubers like goats and chimpanzees? Bimbo ranted and remonstrated as he whisked his black mane into the air. He pushed the air with his right front paw to accentuate the point each time he put a point across. Whether the point made sense or not was none of his business.

You are right, Bimbo! Captain Eagle and his legion of supporters must be out of their minds! Who in his right mind does not know that canines cannot feed on grass? Blackspot, the most vicious and feared tiger in the whole of Mukwa Island who also deputised Bimbo added with anguish and contempt inscribed on his face. Blackspots words seemed to have put petrol on the fire. Bimbo swayed and flung viciously from one side of the highly elevated stage to the other as he gallantly pontificated about the lions incontrovertible position as the head of the animal kingdom.

The wild canines believed that power was ordained and bestowed upon them by the creator. No mortal had the right to expropriate power bestowed upon earthlings by a supernatural being. To use trickery called elections was fraud and illegal. Power according to Bimbo was supposed to be earned. He proved his power by flexing his muscles before the gathered congregation. Blackspot, who wore a gold coat with black spots and all the wild canines joined him to flex their muscles too although their muscles were not as rippling as those of Bimbo. Their muscles bulged and formed frightening nebulous shapes.

Biceps and triceps increased and bulged in size to a breaking point. The wild canines twerked and shoved. They tore the ground with their claws with their faces contorted and distorted. The wild beasts snarled ferociously and viciously at the same time wagging their tails. Bimbo spit some white froth from his large mouth. He was seething with anger.

Herbivores and all the domesticated animals dropped their heads with fear and consternation. The herbivores had committed blasphemy by entertaining a notion that they were equal to canines. Their sin was unpardonable. Captain Eagle who was this leader of this revolution had angered the gods, no wonder it had not rained for the last two years. When rain clouds formed, they quickly vanished amid a cacophony of riotous thunder and blinding lightening. There was famine all over. The wrath of the gods could not be contained. The gods needed to be appeased by going back to the roots and respecting the order of nature. The cow, the cat and the sheep could not look the lion in the eye. They wished the ground they were standing on could crack open and swallow them alive.

The goats and sheep were bleating and trembling uncontrollably so did the zebra and the impala. The rattling and the gnashing of teeth by the herbivores could be heard miles away beyond the blue sea.

Why did Captain Eagle import a misfortune of gargantuan proportion to Mukwa Island by introducing an alien practice to an otherwise peaceful village? wondered tortoise. Certainly democracy was an alien practice. It had never been practised before. No one knew anything about it. Those who claimed to know it could not explain fully what it was all about for