The Price of Slavery (The Slave River, Part 1) In a trilogy of realistic, historical novels, Frank Jaspers – after 40 years of work in cooperation and knowledge transfer with southern countries – describes the events surrounding an initially successful development project on the Mauritanian side of the Sénégal River. With the crop farmers among the predominantly Black African population groups, some fifty small-scale, pumped irrigation systems are established that provide a substantial step forward in self-sufficiency, poverty reduction, and also a significant increase in income through the cultivation of two rice harvests and sufficient vegetables per year. In this first part: ''The Price of Slavery,'' a seasoned development worker (engineer and lawyer) Nol Maes builds a workable project structure with a handful of Dutch colleagues and a select but too limited group of local technical professionals. The Dutch government adds a talented social anthropologist to incorporate more attention to development of women in a strictly Islamic culture: Beatrice Koster, who is heavily Marxist-affiliated; she is also responsible for the integration of health education. Their characters clash severely. Nol is very much of a 'no bullshit, just get things done' approach and making major strides through 'trial and error.' Beatrice is highly focused on research and only taking action after thorough investigation. The pair is brought into balance by a peculiar agronomist, a Dutch military army veteran from New Guinea: Jack Pelupessy. Through his local field staff, Beatrice obtains usable information from the field. The technical people can put that to good use. She also comes across information outside the scope of the project (e.g.: female genital mutilation in her target group of young women). In the field, Beatrice becomes entangled in an intense sensual love affair with a local Wolof leader of a model concentration village. And that relationship doesn't stop. As the project advances – this part of the trilogy covers the years 1985-1988 – some villages are raided in a process of Arabization and part of the Black population is driven across the river on orders from 'white' Berber Moors by the fierce Mauritanian army, consisting of their own (ex-)slaves and bondsmen as forced mercenaries, and impelling some nomadic Fulani herders with drought stricken cattle to green land with water – the actual newly constructed rice perimeters by the villagers. Despite the abolition of slavery in 1981(!), the white Moors, who possess and own all resources and power to this day, still hold more than a quarter of the Black population in Mauritania as slaves in their homes for work or sex, as serfs or dependent bondsmen looking after their master’s herds. Slavery is inherited through the woman line, regardless of who the father of a child is. The Mauritanian army drives Black African population groups across the river deep into Senegal and attempts to control Northeast Senegal. The target is, of course, to appropriate valuable land with water and infrastructure for irrigation. The village of the Wolof leader is also overrun despite fierce armed resistance and partially massacred. The Wolof leader escapes but returns to bury part of his family. There follows a reunion with all five active Dutch workers and also with Beatrice. The resistance and the specific struggle continues for everyone, and the outcome receives a continuation in the next two parts of the trilogy. How will their friendships and affectionate relations overcome the practices of genocidal conflict? The Price of Slavery : The Slave River, Part 1 Author: Frank. G.W. Jaspers, Associate Professor Water Management UN-IHE Delft frankjaspers@gmail.com www.frankjaspers.com E-Book: KOBO; 105089 words Theme: decolonization and conflict management Style: two narrators (Nol and Beatrice) in first-person mode; rough language; harsh reality; extensive dialogues; abundant illuminating humour to let off steam under severe pressure Focus: social engagement, character development, human relations, Black and white cross-fertilization, impact of culture and religion, affection and love affairs