TIME IMMEMORIAL OR UNREMEMBERED?

"It's a question of economics," began Sanor in his most powerful oratorial voice. He looked around at his audience, he could see they were enraptured by his power but he felt a little unsure of their reception of his subject matter. He continued. "You mentioned the situation in Africa, or in the other parts of the Third World, but, and I emphasise this," and he did with an expansive movement of his arm that would have swept all and sundry within a metre, "it is not to do with ignorant savages, tribal divisions or Third World propensities for growing their own dictators". He paused, reflecting on the quality of his metaphor in view of the importance of agriculture in these countries. "No it is not these which constitute the African problem. In fact," he paused again for melodramatic effect "it is not Africans who are the problem", except for the few traitorous dictators who had been bought off, "it is their economic masters." He looked around as he hesitated. A good orator judges the mood of his audience, and he felt there was chance of success. He tried to gauge the

imagined light bulbs, those instruments of enlightenment that almost became tangibles to the more successful of speakers. Yes he could almost feel the power begin to surge in one or two places. The restlessness that often accompanied the start of his speeches was beginning to be replaced in part by a reflective silence. In some cases there was an almost electric desire for knowledge - personified by the woman in the second row who was almost on the edge of her seat. Still, he mused to himself, she had looked at him with interest before he had begun to speak. Prescience, his oratorical arrogance told him, but he did look to his lower body as other parts gave him a different message. He shuffled embarrassedly as he returned his mind to the speech. He looked pointedly at the young woman. "These countries have never been given their independence. After the second World War these countries with their war-trained armies began striving for independence. But there was conflict, counter this with the war economies of the colonists who had developed a more entrenched and exploitative control. Ah!!," he looked around again "many people forget this in their analysis." There were some nods of acceptance. He continued, things seemed to be going his way today. "So these

colonists were demanding continuance of their economic superiority whilst the armies wanted to ally their war-gained personal independence with that of their country. Now in different countries the different empires dealt with it in their own way. In some cases they created all out armed conflict which meant the need for armed oppression. In other cases they tried to lessen the differences by employing the war-heroes and buying them off in that way. Hence the lower echelons of many civil services were autochthonous - African to you and me!" He laughed with his audience, he made a point of using the technical words. By demystifying the language used by the system he felt that he was taking away one of the weapons they used for maintaining ignorance - it was obvious that some in the audience had heard him before. He smiled at the girl who had laughed after he had. She was very attractive, he thought. "One thing that the colonial b...," he paused and thought better of the word, "these colonial rulers knew that they couldn't maintain control as they had been doing. Firstly their armies were depleted by the war and secondly the peoples were beginnning to demand independence. They didn't really want to remain as colonial oppressors anyway."

"Why you ask?" he saw the half-formed questions " economic reasons again, it was cheaper to have others do their dirty work if, and it's a big IF, they get what they wanted. And that is cheap natural resources and cheap labour." He was now beginning to make his links, they were now beginning to recognise the economic content. "So gradually the European empires allowed a minor shift within the power bases of their colonies. Instead of being the oppressors themselves within these countries, and being white they were easily singled out as such, they paid off local chiefs to do their dirty work. In fact the French used to allow some to join their parliament, not enough to have any great effect. But by the time they had retired from dictatorial megalomania they simply wanted their villas and servants in the South of France anyway." "This question of race was strange. In South Africa subsidiaries of European and American companies exploited and murdered many African workers. But then these same people attacked the Dutch colonials who didn't really have any power. But they attacked them because they were white. So there was much publicity about apartheid but the hypocritical ignorance of these middle-class twits who sit at soirees or evening meals condemning the

Dutch in South Africa whilst they live off the profits of their own subsidiaries." "Of course the government never bothered because although they feigned ignorance and stupidity they knew which side their bread was buttered. Particularly the Tories they spend a few years of unpopular power and then when they're out of office they get directorships in the companies they have won contracts for. This is where the real battle for Africa lies in the consumer societies in the West. And this battle is hard for it is fought on many strange fronts. Despite the fact that this society claims to be rational, it is fought on the most irrational of fronts - a total aim at discrediting anyone who claims to tell the full truth. Partial truths are fine they appeal to the consciences of the academics while they are being bought off, these academics stand up and pretend they are fighting for socialism. And the people from their cocktail parties and suburban parties with their suburban political screwing techniques and political chat-up lines:- "Oh Norman I had never thought of that" as her slightly inebriated breath gasps heavily as her thighs rub next to his under the dinner table, his hand supposedly adjusting his napkin moving slowly up and down the inside of her leg through the gap in her exquisite cocktail dress. Politics,

these people know nothing of politics, they simply play the parlour games that they are allowed by the system. These people who control the system they know the best way to control people that is to allow them to believe they are doing it for ultimate good." "Ultimate good!" he repeated with heavy sarcasm, "Ultimate good, for King and country or the coffers of the war machine, it is a matter of sovereignty or is it a matter of billions in the defence industry. Britain like America cannot do without its industrial-military complex, the economy would fall apart. As would the economy of the nuclear industry." "And here's another part of the economic question. Everyone knows nuclear bombs are pointless, who needs them? It was very early on that USA and USSR had enough of the bloody things to kill us many times over. So why did they build them? Quite simple, to maintain the economy. " He noticed someone get up, he hated that. It was obvious they were going to the toilet but couldn't they see this was really important, couldn't they see that if they really understood all this there would be no problem? Oh he despaired sometimes but he had to remain detached, ah detachment that was the way - superior control of the mind, by the spirit. Unity, that meant that whatever he did was true.

He felt refreshed with that reminder of spiritual succour. "You see all these things come from the economy but it is not simply barter, it's exchange several times over. The more you use your money the better it creates your economy. But here's the crux of the whole issue, " he noticed a yawn. Yes, learning is a hard job, it makes you tired. Yes yawning was often a good sign. To his right a hand moved "Please if you don't mind I will take questions at the end, it's important that I explain these things in a logical order, or otherwise newer members might not understand too well." He enjoyed this club and was always pleased when they asked him back, they often did. The man did not ask the question. "Ah the crux. These economies are not based on money they are based on trust and confidence. Yes I know you won't believe it but they are. If we stopped all the credit and loans and so on, and said that everyone had to pay their debts now, it would all collapse. Take the old Westerns they showed on the TV, you know when they had runs on the banks. Someone would lose confidence in the bank and then word would pass from stetson to stetson, and soon everyone would draw out their money until the bank ran out. They'd start shooting each other and then the bank

manager and so on. Well that could happen now. No not the shooting but there could be a run. In fact there was a run. The Japanese one day decided that they would not transfer their funds across the world to an American bank. One of the banks subsidiaries had had some trouble with oil and had gone bust so everyone was troubled about this big American bank so they all drew out their money. More and more people drew out their money until the bank almost went bust. It was only saved by the other banks pooling together and backing all their loans. "But confidence is even more important than this. The money they deal with on their exchanges doesn't exist. Bankers know that only $1 in 8 is likely to be drawn out at any one time so they lend the rest. All the dealings on the stock markets are based on non-existent money which is supposedly increased by speculation. But it all doesn't exist. The way in which these people control the world with their supposed vast stores of capital and yet it doesn't exist. Can you believe it? It doesn't exist!" He looked round, they didn't seem to believe it. But who could blame them, it was incredulous! It's fiction, he thought. "To return to my theme. If these banks can get together to support each other why, if they were caring, can't they get together and support banks in Africa or South America? Simple

because they would lose control of their economy and all the profits would not go to the big multinationals but maybe to the people who actually do the work. "You see those multi-nationals they control the One Economy - the title of my lecture." He thought that he had made the connection well but no-one seemed to have got it. "Didn't you listen?" he asked "that is really important. Everyone blames governments this and governments that but it's not true. Even here the governments are just puppets, paid puppets to take the flack to take the blame, buffers for the capitalist. Don't you see they are not that stupid, they know what they're doing can't work. It's not meant to, don't you see?" he saw a man standing at the back - he must have just walked in. Was he government? Still he must continue he couldn't let his audience down even if they didn't fully understand. "The reason you don't believe all this is because they won't allow you to be told. They control everything you hear. I know it sounds paranoid but they do. In schools if a teacher talks about this, they are told that what they are teaching is biased and political and it must not be taught. But if they teach about oppressive African dictators or the wonderful British people for all their aid or all the

work that governments do for inner cities then they are not being political, they are being fair. Don't you see this is true?" He felt his voice beginning to crack, he tried to calm down but this was so important. "And then the media they're the same. Who employs the editors, who runs the publishers, who pays the TV bosses? They aren't going to allow the truth to be told, they don't want people to know what bastards they are, how they kill babies in Africa, how their callousness allows millions to die in the Third World while they hoard their millions in rich castles in Palm Springs. Palm Springs where millions is spent to maintain a moneyed arrogance that they can defeat nature." By now he was banging on the table, he knew he was a bit loud and he was getting a bit carried away but after all this was really important. If these people could really see this if they could pass it on, then maybe more and more would get to know the truth. The latecomer had moved nearer the front, did he recognise him? And the girl now wore a pained expression didn't she not now understand him? "And they always prevent you from telling! Oh yes they let you say it. Oh yes there is nothing to stop you from saying it to one or two people but on the media - no! And if you were having any effect, oh

they'd stop you they'd put you in prison or they'd lock you away. I know friends of mine, all they did was say what I've been telling you and they were locked away. They were causing a public nuisance or whatever, and the judges they just locked them away. Oh our legal system that is supposed to be unbiased but they obey the law, whose law? The law of the One Economy. There is only one law. Let us kill as many people as we like so we can gain untold wealth and kill off anybody who disagrees with us. Don't you realise this?" He looked around again and he recognised the latecomer in the white coat. He moved over towards his friends in the audience. "It's not only the law that's not fair. Doctors and psychiatrist they are their tools. Madness what is madness? They don't know, madness? You aren't mad! They are, they let these people do it, they let them get away with all their killing and all their exploitation just for bits of paper. Just so they can say I've got more bits of paper or I've got more bits of rock. Don't you see?" He began shaking Napeon in the audience "Don't you see? We aren't mad, they are. Their rules put us here, not natural rules, not rules that are right and true. They call us mad but we're not, they are. They are told to put us here and they do it." He continued to shake Napeon whose face became

redder and redder until the attendant came up and forcibly grabbed him by the arm. Sanor tried struggling but these police were big - they were the same as police - he continued to struggle but then another one came along and stuck the syringe in him. He shouted "It's One Economy, don't you see? Won't you listen to me?" But his words were not heard, as his brain numbed by the drug, couldn't control his lips enough to form them. As he was being taken to his room the nurse asked "Do you ever listen to him?" "I never listen to any of them otherwise you become mental like them." She looked at him and nodded. The girl looked on as the three walked off. She still loved him but she couldn't tell him. If he knew he'd only tell them, and she would be certified sane and thrown out. And he so needed her - maybe he'd play their game one day. The two time-watchers clicked off their screen. They never failed to be amazed at the depths and depravity of the twentieth century - and the gullibility of its people. The next two time-watchers examined their screen, they were continually amazed at the arrogance of the so-called advanced. The last time-watchers were ashamed to look

back!!! Wai Zarendhara (1982)