The camera shifts as an extremely large African man appears in front of it, dressed in a pair of white slacks and khaki shorts. He coughs in a manner that makes it clear he has some sort of lung disease.
He sits down on a wooden ammunition box with a bending sound reminiscent of trees been felled. Subtitles pop up: ‘Emmanuel Governder – Human Rights Activist.’
“We should start at the beginning.” The director’s voice is tense. If they are caught doing this, no nation on Earth will be able to rescue them. Emmanuel nods, his eyes darting around nervously. He clears his throat.
“It all started with the beginning for the First Pan-African War. Christians versus Islamists. Jihads called, and Crusades answered. The death toll numbered the in the hundreds of millions. The war continues in some places even today.”
There is a pause as sporadic gunfire can be heard outside. Emmanuel smiles. “It seems to someone like you, from a wealthy nation, that Africa has always been like this.” He shakes his head. “Not so. Once, in South Africa at least, we had a relatively thriving economy” his mouth tightens in anger.
“Is that when China, Russia and the USA divided Africa up amongst themselves?” The director presses. Emmanuel nods his head in assent.
“The UN asked for this assistance in a ‘humanitarian mission’, and they just never left,” he snarled. “After the War, we were in no shape to fight back, even if we had united. They quickly merged the governments into conglomerates based around the nation that controlled them.”
“Is that when Cape Town and Pretoria rebelled?” A boom mike can be briefly seen on the top right of the camera.
Subtitles again appear: “Cape Town and Pretoria were nuked by Chinese forces when they rose up in 2064.”
“Yes, we rose up. Who would blame us? They started rounding us up for slave labour. The women were either used as seamstresses or for something worse” Emmanuel snarls.
“We didn’t realize that fighting back was fruitless, though. The American-controlled countries quickly gained their freedom. The US had no stomach for the brutality required to keep control of us” he smiled, then his face became a blank state. “The Chinese government had the stomach though. They needed our resources to be free of the Middle-East and of America, and they were willing to do anything to gain this independence.” The director swallowed audibly.
“I hope you don’t view me as responsible for those crimes?” He asked nervously. Emmanuel eyed him with amusement.
“Don’t worry, friend. I know you believe in our freedom. Not all Chinese are the same. Neither are all Africans. Did you know that there were once dozens of separate counties on this continent?” The director murmured an answer. “It seems strange, does it not? The heartland of humanity was also the most divided” Emmanuel suddenly laughed, great bellows that even shook the camera slightly. The director laughs nervously too, then tries to shift the topic.
“Let’s talk about Africa’s freedom. You were willing to sacrifice anything for that freedom, correct?” The director’s voice gains a hint of admiration.
Subtitles appear: “Emmanuel’s wife and children were killed by Chinese forces at Pretoria. Emmanuel was imprisoned between 2064 and 2073.”
Emmanuel smiles again, this time with a hint of sadness.
“There are no words to describe the pain of my struggle. At last, though, there is some hope. If this documentary reaches the Chinese public, then perhaps things will change.” He shakes his head sadly. “I have to hope for a better future, because other what else is there to hope for?”
Explosions are heard outside, and the door behind the director can be heard to burst open. Chinese voices shout in a rapid babble, and the tape quickly goes black.