Little wonder then that the powers-that-be, ever resourceful in their will to punish, discipline and control, chose this place as a "reeducation camp." It is being used with a view to breaking the spirit of any one dissenting from or opposed to their policy. The camp is under the constant watch of a platoon of armed guards who work on shifts. No one can escape from this place. This afternoon, a group of guards are whiling the hours, playing a card game and drinking tea. Others are sleeping under the shade of makeshift tents, open on all four sides. The leader of the camp, who had his walkie-talkie on, suddenly gets up from the card game. He calls the guard on duty at the top of one of the strategic hills.

Camp Leader: Hello Zagrey�Hello Zagrey...Do you read me?
Guard on Duty: I can hear you. Did you receive my message?
Camp Leader: Yes, I received it; that is why I am calling now. How many vehicles can you see coming?
Guard on Duty: I can see five.
Camp Leader: Can you identify what type of cars they are?
Guard on Duty: I can see two Toyotas, four-wheel drive. The rest are behind a cloud of dust and I cannot make out what make they are. I have trained my binoculars on them waiting to see if the dust settles. It will be easier when they turn round a bend in the road.
Camp Leader: Good. Keep looking and let me know of any details.
Guard on Duty: Will do.
Camp Leader: Okay. Over and out. [Turning to his deputy] Five Toyotas! This must be a big visit, and we don't have enough provisions to entertain VIPs. Do we have much drink in the secret store?
Deputy: We have plenty of beer, thanks to General Chuchu's last visit. I wish they could all come with boxes of beer, like good old Chuchu. Chuchu is great. Whatever they say about his wild ways and petty trading, at least he does not forget those of us in trenches.
Camp Leader: Chuchu is a shrewd operator. What he is doing in all these seemingly generous gestures is buying an insurance policy in case of a future showdown. He showers selected officers and men in strategic places with gifts of beer and other goodies.
Deputy: Then why don't the others do the same?
Camp Leader: First, because they don't understand insurance policy as Chuchu does. Second, because they are mean and selfish bastards.
Deputy [With a broad grin]: Now, at last, you are talking my language. They are all treacherous bastards who have forgotten their oath and betrayed their trust.
Camp Leader: Be careful; I warn you. You repeat that kind of language in front of others, and you'll join the inmates in there [pointing to the valley].
Deputy: I never talk this way in front of others, except one or two like you whom I can trust.
Camp Leader [Annoyed]: Trust? How do you know you can trust anybody, these days? How do you know you can trust me? I can't even trust myself, if that makes any sense.
Deputy: I just know. Besides, there are times when men must take risks. Otherwise, we would be paralyzed and subject to cynical manipulation by those who govern us. After all, we didn't spend our youth fighting for freedom only to be enslaved by fear, reduced to a bunch of frightened goons.
Camp Leader [Irritable]: You amaze me. Despite all the hardships you have been through, you are still a true believer. I must say, I admire you for that. But, for God's sake, stop preaching to me.
Deputy: Well, you provoked me.

[Sound of walkie-talkie] Hello Central Command. Do you hear me?
Camp commander: I hear you Zagre. Go ahead.
Guard on Duty: Vehicles approaching Camp. They are about two miles away. By the way, they are all Toyotas. And the first car is flying a flag.
Camp Commander: What kind of flag?
Guard on Duty: How many kinds are there?
Camp Commander: You son of a bitch!
Guard on Duty [Laughing]: T'Hisho! You are a better son of a bitch.
Camp Commander: Tell me when they are within four or five hundred meters away. Over and out. [Excitedly and turning to deputy]: A flag!
Deputy: A flag? Aha! Are you thinking what I am thinking?
Camp Commander: Maybe. See that the guesthouse is properly cleaned and ready for use. See to it that there is enough water in the cistern for shower. That is the first thing they are going to ask for.

The deputy Commander complies by passing on the order to other guards who were standing a little distance away.

[Walkie talkie calls]: Hello Central Command. They are here; only some five hundred meters away. They should be at your gate in a matter of minutes.
Camp Leader: Thanks Zagrey. We are ready for them.
Guard on Duty: You'd better be; because if you are not, all hell will be let loose on your head. Hahahaha!
Camp Leader: You baboon!
Guard on Duty: [Still laughing]: T'Hisho! Likewise.
Deputy: Where does all that laughter come from?
Camp Leader: He is demented.
Deputy: Aren't we all, for God's sake! This place can make anybody go mad. When will it all end? When are we going home to our families? We are as much prisoners as those we are guarding. Do you know that I am forgetting the names of my children. Is there a way out of this hellish place?
Camp Leader: You are asking the wrong man. You will have a chance to ask some of the VIPs who will be with us soon. Speak of the devil and�Here they come.

Presently, the first vehicle stops outside the gate. The other cars also are parked behind the first car and people start jumping out of some of them. The occupants of the second and fifth cars are armed soldiers. They stand guard around the third and fourth cars. The driver of the first car goes round the front of the car to open the door. And out comes, a tall figure wearing a kaki shirt, kaki cap to match it, jeans trousers and sunglasses. The other occupants of the vehicle move towards the tall man and form a semi-circle around him. His head towers over all the others. When he walks, they walk; when he stops, they stop. And, as if he is enjoying seeing them do this, he repeats the ritual of walking short steps and stopping as they follow suit. The Camp Leader goes to meet them and he is greeted coldly by the tall man, though the others shake his hand, and a couple even give him the traditional shoulder touching and squeezing.

Tall Man: [Surveying his surroundings and gazing at the valley, addresses the Camp Leader]: Where are the other guards? Is this all you have?
Camp Leader: There are a few more who are doing production duties.
Tall Man: What kind of duties?
Camp Leader: They are gathering firewood.
Tall Man: Why don't you use prison labor for that?
Camp Leader: We do. But somebody has to guard the prisoners as they gather wood.
Tall Man: Perhaps you think you re scoring a point. You are not. You said, "they are doing production duties." Those were your exact words. Yes or no? [Camp Leader lowers his head in deference mixed with fear]. You should have said, they are on duty guarding prisoners who are gathering firewood. Right?
Camp Leader: Right.
Deputy: Excuse my intrusion, comrade, but what is the difference? They are doing production duties indirectly when they guard those who are engaged in gathering wood. It is division of labor to the same end-gathering wood. Isn't it?
Tall Man: Is it?
Deputy: Isn't it?
[The Tall Man stares at the Deputy. It is eye-ball to eye-ball for a moment, and the Deputy refuses to look away and be stared down].
Tall Man: Who are you? And I don't remember addressing my questions to you.
Deputy: I am the Deputy Camp Leader and I waited for the comrade Camp Leader to answer your question. When he didn't I decided to answer it. Is it forbidden for a comrade to speak his mind? That was not the case during the struggle. Do you remember?
Tall Man: Yes I do remember. Thank you for reminding me. We can easily forget, can't we? And I admire your guts. [Turning to the Camp Leader]: We have special guests for you today. I hope you can accommodate them.
Camp Leader: We have enough rooms, but some of the guests may have to sleep in the same room. They are large rooms.
Tall Man: I don't think you understand what I am talking about. We have prisoners that are dangerous and have to be under continual watch.
Camp Leader: I see. I thought you were referring to the company of guests who accompanied you. Now I understand. We have enough room to take in as many as fifty inmates.
Tall Man: Good. Mind you, these new ones have to be kept separate from all the others. [Pointing to one of the officials who came in his car]: Do you see the young man with the sun glasses? He will fill you in with the details. [Signals the young man with the sun glasses to come along and the young man joins them]: You two have a lot to talk about. You know the guidelines on the processing of the prisoners, so explain to the Camp Leader in detail. [He stresses the word "processing" and the young man nods as does the Camp Leader]. So, make sure that it is done according to the guidelines. No mistakes of any kind, no relaxation of the rule will be tolerated. Understood?
Camp Leader: Understood.
Tall Man [Pulling the Camp Leader away and lowering his voice]: By the way, how long has your deputy been here with you?
Camp Leader: Almost from the beginning, which is now eight years.
Tall Man: I like his guts. He deserves a raise.
Camp Leader: We all do, I think. Deserve a raise I mean.
Tall Man: Yes, but his kind of guts should be specially rewarded. [He leaves him to join the company of his entourage and talks to the young man with the glasses]: Did you hear what the Deputy Camp Leader said to me?
Young Man: No. What did he say?
Tall Man: Never mind what he said. He is dangerous. Get his dossier and report to me about him, immediately. Ask the Camp leader to give you his dossier, but don't tell him why you want it.
Young Man: Yes sir.
Tall Man: Now get the prisoners out of the cars and take them in. They are to go in the same way they came-blind folded. They are to see no one and talk to no one. Understood?
Young Man: Yes sir. Two of them have been sick, and have been asking for medicines and to see doctors. What shall we do?
Tall Man: What is wrong with them?
Young Man: One is a diabetic and has hyper tension. The other is asthmatic and has ulcer.
Tall Man: Tell them we will be sending for a helicopter with a doctor to treat them in a couple of days. That should keep them quiet. Now go and take them to their new quarters. The Camp Leader will show you where. And tell the deputy Camp Leader to come here.
On his way to order the prisoners out of the cars and taken to their new abode, the young man tells the Deputy Camp Leader he is wanted by the chief guest. He then orders the prisoners to move towards the end of the valley.

Deputy: Did you ask for me?
Tall Man: Yes. I want to give you a special assignment. Do you see the new prisoners being taken to their new abode?
Deputy: Yes I do.
Tall Man: Well, I want you to be a special liason with them, to befriend them and appear to be sympathetic to their cause. [He pauses and watches the Deputy's reaction]. Can you do that?
Deputy: As a soldier, I will follow orders, of course. But I don't know who they are and what their cause is. They are being led blind folded. I assume there is good reason for doing that.
Tall Man [Repeats the Deputy's words verbatim, laaughing loudly, almost hysterically]: " I assume there is good reason for doing that." I like that. Hey, you are good. And you assume right.

Suddenly, a loud voice is heard from the direction of the blind folded and shackled prisoners who are being shepherded towards the end of the valley.

The Voice: I know that laughter. My eyes are blindfolded, but my ears are not stuffed. So you came with us. I can tell you are here from hearing your voice. Why are you hiding? Why did you travel with u all the way incognito? Are you afraid even when we are under your boots? You came with your prisoners all the way from Asmara, and yet you did not let your voice heard. You honor us too much, great Chief.
Tall Man [To the young man with the sunglasses]: Bring him here. Let the others wait.

The owner of the Voice is almost as tall as the man who summoned him. Now he stands blindfolded facing the Tall Man and the Deputy].

Prisoner: [standing face to face with the Tall Man]: Let me see, how many meters am I standing from where you are standing, or are you sitting?
Tall Man: Never mind that. [To the young man]: You can take off his blind folds. When the young man takes off the blind folds, the prisoner shuts his eyes which canot stand the light after two days being in the dark]
Tall Man: Now, tell me. What difference does it make whether you knew that I was in your convoy or not?
Prisoner: [Squinting and not able to see closing his eyes and laughing]: I would have enjoyed our chat. Do you remember the chats we used to have on our trips to and from the highlands during the war? I miss that.
Tall Man: Always sarcastic, even in captivity.
Prisoner: Well that is something you can't take away from me. And by the way, why this ridiculous blind fold? I mean, we know we cannot escape from Sahel prisons; after all, we used to be on the captors' side of the fence in those days. This reversal of fortune in which we find ourselves is becoming ludicrous every day.
Tall Man: You brought it on yourself. I didn't
Prisoner: No, you brought it on us. You had been waiting for an opportune moment to harvest the next crop of victims to quench your insatiable thirst for absolute power. Our mistake was in believing you would listen to reason.
Tall Man: I always listen to reason. But I can't stand lies and excuses. Your accusation of my appetite for power, for instance, is a bald lie. I hold power in the name of the people. I embody the will of the masses; the masses are with me because I am with them and for them.
Prisoner: The poor masses-how much crime has been committed in their name! But let's leave the masses for the moment. I want to know: why this theatrics of blindfolding and shackles? It is more comical than tragic. Where do you think we would fly to, if we were not shackled and blind folded? Don't you think it is ludicrous. You must agree; you used to have a wry sense of humor. Have you lost that too?
Tall Man What do you mean "that too"? What else have I lost?
Prisoner: You have lost your sense of right and wrong. You lost it a long time ago when we let you do whatever you wanted. We are to blame for letting you do whatever you wanted. But it reached its maximum-you became like Napoleon-when you ignored the rest of us, including the representatives of your beloved masses and decided to go it alone in the Weyane-Eritrean war without consulting us, your erstwhile comrades-in-arms.
Tall Man: I consulted with my chief of starff anfd his military staff..
Prisoner: No you didn't. And when some of us we gate-crashed to your office, begging you to let us help, you ignored us because you wanted the monopoly of the glory of victory. Hahaha! Some victory you got!
Tall Man [Clearly losing his temper]: You lie; I did not go it alone. The Party was with me all the way, except a few traitors like you. And now even loyal members like Dr. Senai have joined you. Where is he by the way?
Prisoner: He is very ill; he has been calling for medical care throughout the journey, and no one would listen or care about his agony.
Tall Man: He'll get medical attention tomorrow, or the day after.
Prisoner: What if he dies in the meantime?
Tall Man [Sotto voce]: The traitor-let him die; do I care!
Prisoner: Even traitors have a right to medical care. By the way, if you believe in the fabricated lies, the mantra of "traitors�traitors," why don't you bring us to face trial in court. That is what is done in civilized societies. You are civilized aren't you? So, why were you afraid of charging us in open court? I'll tell you why. You don't have a shred of evidence to support your ridiculous charge of treason. I dare you to bring us to court instead of shuffling us from one prison camp to another.
Tall Man: Why are you in a hurry to be judged. We have enough evidence to hang you. But we are in no hurry.
Prisoner: You don't have evidence and you know it. I know you; if you had evidence you would have had us paraded in open court-not in your special court, but in open court. As for your claim that the party was behind you in the Weyane dispute, I am a member of the Party's Central Council and I do not remember a meeting that decided on this issue. What you call Party consists of your handpicked yes-men who do your bidding.
Tall Man: I know your ambition, you son of a bitch. You wanted the presidential Chair and conspired to dispatch me in a coup. But I was too quick for you. Mengistu had it right when he said, "The wanted to feast on us for dinner, but we made breakfast out of them."
Prisoner: So it has come to this has it? You are now quoting Mneistu, not Mao. What a come down. By the way, I wouldn't touch your beloved presidential chair if it was the last thing I do. You see, to power hungry people like you everyone conspires to take away their position. If you only knew how much I was tired of politics. All I wanted was a peaceful life to raise my children. But I could not sit tight as you took the country down the drain. So I protested. That is my only crime.
Tall Man [Calling the man with the sun glasses]: Away with him.

The tall man goes to meet the rest of his entourage who were being taken to their quarters with some of the guards carrying their bags and other belongings.
All the while, the Deputy Camp Commander was keenly following, from a safe distance, the incredible dialogue going on between two big people. He now approaches the Camp Commander.

Deputy Commander: What was that all about? Who is the prisoner?
Camp Commander: How could you forget him? He is one of the heroes of the armed struggle. If any one individual could claim any decisive role in the achievement of victory against incredible odds, during our war of liberation, he can.
Deputy Commander: What a marvelous way to treat a hero! What a wonderful country! I should escape from this place and go to the Sudan, or anywhere.
Camp Commander: I wouldn't be in a hurry if I were you; not before you get a salary raise.
Deputy Commander: What salary raise?
Commander: Didn't the Chief tell you? He was so impressed by your boldness, he said you deserve a raise.
Deputy Commander: And what did you say?
Commander: I said we all deserve a raise.
Deputy Commander: And he singled me out for a raise, right? [The Commander nods in assent] I smell a rat. It confirms my suspicion. Do you know what he told me? He said he wants me to act as if I believe in the cause of the prisoners and spy on them and report to him.
Commander: Are you going to?
Deputy Commander: Of course. But feed him information damaging to them? Hell, no.
Commander: Now listen. All this didn't happen. I have not heard anything. You have not told me anything. Okay?
Deputy Commander: Scared, huh? Well don't worry; I won't squeal on you. This man is incredible, though, isn't he? It is the first time I came face to face with him. I have never liked him, but I sort of gave him the benefit of the doubt. Well, now no benefit of the doubt. He is a double-faced intriguer, a real monster. He tells you one thing ands he tells another something else.
Commander: How do you think he has remained on top for so long? As they say in America, it goes with the territory.
Deputy Commander: What goes with the territory?
Commander: Double-faced intrigue.
Deputy Commander: Well, it is not for me.
Commander: That's why you are not the Chief. Let's go and meet our masters. [They laugh and start moving towards the guesthouse].

Scene Two
Inside the prisoners' quarters. Evening of the same day.
The new prisoners have been settled in their new abodes. The VIPs have done with their carousing and gone to sleep. It is after midnight, and the Deputy Camp Commander is taking Snai's temperature, sitting beside him. Senai is lying on a worn out mattress on the ground. Two other prisoners, including the one who had a run-in with the Chief are also lying on the ground.

Deputy: You certainly have fever. By the way, I am the unofficial barefoot doctor in this camp. That was my first job when I joined the struggle in the late seventies. I still remember the names of diseases and the medicines for those diseases. I even conducted minor operations on the frontline after some battles. So, I will do what I can for you until a real doctor comes:
Senai: [Coughing and clutching his chest in pain]: If a doctor comes you mean.
Deputy: We have been assured by the Chief that a helicopter will come, carrying a doctor and medicines, in a day or two.
Another Prisoner [Laughing]: The country doesn't have a helicopter, and he says he will send one with a doctor and medicines to serve prisoners. If you believe that you will believe the Brooklyn Bridge is for sale, as the Americans would say.
Senai [Although in pain, doing his best to put up a brave front]: Actually, the Brooklyn Bridge is up for sale these days. I read that in Time Magazine.
The other Prisoner: If you believe everything you read in the Press, you will believe anything, including the promise of a helicopter service to prisoners.
Deputy: Well, here is a pill that should ease your pain. Take it twice a day, one in the morning, one in the evening, after meals. I believe you have pneumonia. I will need some antibiotic and we have some stored for special occasions. I don't see why we shouldn't consider your coming here as a special occasion. [Laughter].
The Tall Prisoner: I like this guy. I think we will be better off here than we have been in Asmara and its environs.
Deputy: Well, you keep saying that and they will send me packing to join you guys here.
Tall Prisoner: We don't want that. But thanks anyway for your kindness.
Deputy: Listen, don't thank me. It is your right. You don't deserve to be here and certainly not brought in the manner you were brought here, blindfolded and shackled. No human being, certainly no veteran who spent his youth fighting for freedom, should be treated this way. But, I repeat, please keep your feelings to yourselves.
Tall Prisoner: We will, indeed. Thank you.
Deputy: Well, Good night, I'll see you tomorrow.
Prisoners [in unison]: Good night.

Senai stays awake for several hours after the Deputy's visit. The other two prisoners fall asleep. As one of them snores, Senai tosses on the mattress, blocking his ears with the parts of his towel, which he brought with him. As there is no roof over the desert dungeon to which he and his companions had been consigned, he can see the stars in the wide-open sky, and the dark outlines of the peaks of the rocks surrounding the valley. Then the fading stars gave way to a pallor heralding the morning to come. He had spent a whole night without sleep. But somewhere he began to hear the faint throbbing of sound of a ghostly kirar music, palpitating on the same note endlessly. He recognized it as the song Wedi TiKul made popular during the armed struggle in the 1980's. He focuses his mind on the music, which gradually dominates the snoring sound. Eventually, he falls asleep and starts dreaming.

In his dreams he is part of a music festival in which several musicians play, sometimes as a symphony, at other times separately. Among the prominent competitors is Wedi TiKul and his songs win out in the end, taking over all the others, as he struts on the stage playing on his Kirar. In the dream, Wedi TiKul acts not only as musician, but as a battalion commander�.