Masibe Amity & Commerce Conference

[Kesewani]

November, 2020
The Jafarian Palace,
Masibe, Kesewani

The Jafarian Palace

In the capital city of Masibe, as diplomatic relations re-open up in the midst of a pandemic and economic recession effecting the region, a conference had been daringly called for the meeting of Muhammad II of the United Kingdom of Kesewani and the newly appointed Busarian Ambassador to Kesewani in order to discuss diplomatic and economic ties of the neighboring countries of Kesewani and Busarian.

Keanjaho Mauladui, the Chief of the Kesewi Royal Court had arranged for the meeting to take place in the Green Chamber of the Jafarian Palace, a beautiful white royal complex built in the 1920's by King Muhammad's great-grandfather, King Jafari. The Green Chamber, ornately designed with the style of the art-deco that had been all the rage in style a hundred years ago, had often served as a peaceful meeting palace for diplomacy and politics, both within and outside of Kesewani. It took its name from its green and gold walls and massive emerald chandelier that hung over the ornate table that served as the centerpiece of the room.

Mauladui, an elderly man dressed in the traditional kanzu that was eggshell white, striking against his dark skin and gray hair, stood alongside His Majesty's Secretaries, the members of the Royal Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, though the actual prime minister, Usian Mwinhyai of the People's Liberal Party would not be in attendance today. There, however, was the secretaries of foreign affairs, ( Abdalla Serkinjia a friendly faced rotund man of short stature in a suit), the treasury (Chitundu Birashika, a thin bald man wit deep wrinkles) and business & industrial strategy (Zahur Flochikau an equally bald, equally old but bespectacled man)

Center stage was King Muhammad II, a dark-skinned man with black hair and well groomed beard just under six feet, dressed in a three piece suit. The ninth king of Kesewani, his twenty year reign had thus far determined the path of the country for the 21st Century. He maintained a cool air of formality and regality as he awaited the arrival of the Busarian ambassador.

[Busarele]

Meluleki Nyembe stepped out of the Busarian Embassy’s glossy black limousine, the red, yellow, green and white flags fluttering in a slight breeze. Nyembe, age 61, was a tall bald man with dark brown skin. He wore a traditional morning suit, the official formal attire of an ambassador of Busarele. Nyembe was respected lawyer and politician back home in Ranaria, the capital city of Busarele. Over the past forty three years he’d served as a community organizer in the late 1970’s, provincial representative and member of parliament in the 1980’s and 90’s, only to have left politics in the first days of the 21st century to practice law.

Nyembe had made a name for himself as a lawyer in two cases he won before the Constitutional Court, Maqhama v. Duze in his defense of citizens against police brutality in 2004 and Mnyamande v. The Ministry of the State which resulted in the legalizing of same-sex marriage in 2009. Following his stunning success, Nyembe had left practicing law for a business career, becoming a multi-millionaire as head of a pharmaceutical company, only to return to the law in 2014. He was appointed by then Prime Minister Sifiso Seyma to the directorship of the Central Intelligence Organization in 2018.

Nyembe maintain this role even after the current prime minister, Tinana Croome took over, though she’d now removed him from the directorship to serve as ambassador. Nyembe, having become used to switching up his careers was more than happy to serve as ambassador. And with his long list of appoints and positions held many suspected he was a master of conduct and foreign intelligence, which was precisely why Nyembe had been selected with a mission in mind. To strengthen economic ties between Busarele and Kesewani.

Accompanying the Ambassador was the embassy’s first secretary, Langa Mbanjwa, a mustachioed man in his thirties with a considerably less impressive resume. As well as Sibusiswe Nsele-Ngidi, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry of Busarele, a woman in her late sixties with a gray afro and thick glasses. Nsele-Ngidi had served as a MP since 1988, and as deputy minister since 2018. The trio walked several feet apart from one another, Nyembe leading as they entered the Jafarian Royal Palace to the Green Chamber.

[Kesewani]

As Ambassador Nyembe arrived, reporters and photographers, stationed expertly in social distanced circles protected behind Crystal clear plexiglass shield began snapping pictures, moving to other such stations as they entered the palace and transversed the corridors of the magnificent building. Upon the Busarian delegation’s arrival in the Green Chamber, a herald, a member of the Royal Household’s Cavalry guard, formally announced the arrival. King Muhammad smiled politely as the cameras filled the halls with the sounds of snapping. The image of the meeting of the two delegations would be captured for all of Kesewani and Busarele to see.

[Busarele]

Nyembe, entering the grand room of the Green Chamber came to a stop alongside his fellow politicians and representatives of the Crown of Busarele. After they were lined up in a row, Nyembe turned to Mbanjwa who handed him a leather booklet panel, the official credentials of Nyembe, detailing the appointment of him by Prime Minister Croome in the name of the Crown, that being Busarele’s own king. Thanking Mbanjwa he took the credentials in his hands. With that the new ambassador stepped forward, bowing to the King of Kesewani, rising and then marched formally forward, stopping halfway to bow once more, and then finally came before the King, stopping at a respectful distance and giving a final bow.

“Your Majesty, it is with great honor and humility that I arrive to your fine nation, a nation that it is the greatest hope of my nation’s government that your fine nation shall become a fine friend and economic ally. Your reign has been one of determination and guidance in the newest century in the great epic of history. My king sends you the warmest of wishes familial affection to his fellow sovereign prince. I hope for your reign and life to be long and joyous. May this mark the beginning of a great friendship. With that Sir, I here by wish to officially present you with my credentials of appointment.”

With that, Nyembe proceeded to present the King of Kesewani with the official ceremonial booklet of his credentials.

[Kesewani]

King Muhammad smiled as he accepted the credentials of Ambassador Nyembe, pausing briefly so that the cameras could get their shot. After that was finished, the room the credentials and handed them off to Mauladui, who took them in hand and held on to it. The presenting of credentials was of course a purely ceremonial action, but it was one that a man like Mauladui valued highly. The King turned his attention back to the ambassador.

“Mr. Ambassador,” King Muhammad said, “welcome to Kesewani, it is a pleasure to have you here and it is equally the greatest hope of our own that the friendship of our two kingdoms is cemented with this diplomatic mission. The King of Busarele is very kind and I hope he too has a long reign. Please,” he gestured to the table, “let us sit.”

[Busarele]

Nyembe nodded his head in agreement and, at King Muhammad’s direction, made his way to the beautifully made table. Truely, the entire grand room was quite beautiful. A testament to the grandeur and wealth of the Kesewi Monarchy he supposed. Nyembe himself, a conservative—despite his appointment by a prime minister who was the leader of the Democratic Socialist Party, had always valued the role of the monarchy in Busarele and was inclined to be supportive of them elsewhere.

“Thank you Sir, and I assure you the pleasure is all mine.”

Nyembe sat, sweeping his coat tails of his morning suit out of the way as he did so to settle into the chair. He looked to the King and his royal advisors. It did seem, in part at least from his narrow vantage point that the Kesewi king was far more involved in the politics of the nation than the Busarian one. King Siyabonga II, the present monarch that sat upon the Steatite Throne, reframed from playing to much of an active part in politics, save perhaps as chief diplomat, instead serving more as a chief of social traditions and changes.

“It is a grand and beautiful home that you have Sir, such wealth and grandeur, a testament of your realm’s prosperity, no?”

[Kesewani]

King Muhammad’s smile wavered slightly at the ambassador’s comment about the the grandeur and opulence of the room. The Jafarian Palace had, over the century of its existence in the capital faced a number of criticisms from many in regards to its size, extravagance and expense. Though built in the Roaring 20’s, it had been in the days of great economic depression that had followed soon after its completion that in the eyes of many, its mocked the many poor, desperate and homeless that unfortunately populated the city. Complaints about the palace had continued throughout reigns of Muhammad’s grandfather and uncle. And in recent moments months such whispers of critiques had started to drift through the united kingdom.

“Yes, my great-grandfather built this palace during a time of unprecedented wealth and economic success in his day. I do believe that he was fascinated with the fairytale of palaces and enchanted by the ideas of the cultural revolution of the time. And though times have been a bit difficult over this last year, we all look forward to the rebounding of the regional and our national economy.”

[Busarele]

Nyembe put his hands together on the table, nodding along as he listened to the King of Kesewani talk about the history of the palace. The 1920’s too for Busarele had been a period of cultural renaissance, and political change, it was when the parliament and prime minister had truly shifted power away from the King to themselves. The Crown since then had become a ceremonial figure, parent of the nation. Meanwhile folk music had changed and turned into the precursor of much of the main stream songs and styles of today.

“I am glad that you brought up the rebounding of the economy and I admire your confidence of that occurring. However, I fear with the recent economic recession, such confidence in that simply happening naturally, at least any time soon is severely lacking. Busarele has been hit very hard by the shutdowns, the slowing of international trade and the general social anxiety of the year, and the market is in dire straits. Already the economy has shrunken dramatically, unemployment has skyrocketed.”

Nyembe cleared his throat. He didn’t wish to sound alarmist, but the truth was that alarm was most certainly the feeling of the day for the Croome Administration. It was after all the first time the Democratic Socialist Party had been able to rise to power in twenty-five years, and whilst their handling of the pandemic was admirable, there was concern throughout the Cabinet that with them earn praise for their restrictions and prevention and quarantining protocols focus, going into the next year they would turn their attention to the economy. Furthermore, if they continued down the spiral, the dread phantom of bankruptcy would wait for them with open claws.

“Which is why my government wishes to discuss the provisions of preventative measurements of further economic decline. As we speak of friendship and support between our kingdoms, we hope that Kesewani may aid in that supporting in the form of a providing of an amity financial bailout for our government, in order to increase the speed of the rebounding of industries.”

[Kesewani]

King Muhammad’s wavering smile finally collapsed. The king looked to his advisors as they all exchanged looks of shock and a bit of horror at the Busarian ambassador’s proposal. After all, surely he couldn’t have been serious. He couldn’t have, just before their eyes, only moments after presenting the king with his credentials proposed that Kesewani give Busarele an economic bailout. King Muhammad coughed and then cleared his throat as he looked back to the ambassador, his hand intertwined with one another on the table.

“Forgive me Mr. Ambassador, but, surely you can’t be serious. An bailout of that scale is... well it is unprecedented, even in our shared history. It would horribly expensive. And let us not forget that you are not the only nation in this regional recession. Kesewani’s wealth is hard worked for, and if, not to mention if we had the money to spare, we were to entertain such an idea, then what is to say that Busarele will not come back with their, your hands open for yet another Kesewi handout in the next economic quarter?”

[Busarele]

Nyembe forced a polite smile. He was an experienced man and knew a thing or two about how to deal with a political colleague who wasn’t keen on one of his ideas, or at least one he represented. Though never before had that colleague been a foreign monarch. It forced him to tame his response, for he was known to be a bit aggressive, but that wouldn’t work here. He could sympathize a bit, but his pride for his country picked at his attitude. He could not help but see a thinly veiled insult in the King of Kesewani’s tone and statement. An insult not only to him personally but to all of Busarele.

“Sir, I beg your pardon, but Busarele is a nation of honor and hard workers just as much as Kesewani. These are difficult times for all of us, and the only way to survive them, is to work together, not to pull apart. You are right, sir, that Busarians are not the only people in this recession. It effects all of us. And thus far it has mostly fallen on the shoulders and backs of the Busarians, but tell me, sir, as you and your people grasp for the remains of your wealth, what shall happen if, when, our backs give out?”

Ambassador Nyembe spread his hand, waving it across the table as if to gesture to the room around them.

“We are connected. If we fall, it will not just be our ruin, but the ruin of the international economy. Markets, trade, all of it shall be pulled down one after another into a black hole of debt and poverty. If we are foolish enough to remain separate, and selfish, it will be financial disaster, it will be a new Great Depression.”

[Kesewani]

Flochikau, the bespectacled Secretary of Business & Industrial Strategy blinked nervously behind his glasses at Ambassador Nyembe’s dark prediction of the future. He leaned over the table to look at his king.

“Your Majesty, if I may, the ambassador does have a point. Busarele is our largest and most important economic trade partner in the region. If the Busarian economy collapsed, it will destroy international trade, our exports will have nowhere to go, and it will severely cripple many of our largest companies, and may I add, employers, who work in both of our nations. If they strip, we will stumble, if they fall, they will drag us down with them.”

Listening to this, King Muhammad started to open his mouth, only for Birashika, the Secretary of the Treasury spoke up, his deep wrinkled skin shaking as he spoke in his aged tone.

“That, Your Majesty, is precisely why we can not afford to fund such a massive financial obligation. We can not afford to throw money into, as Ambassador Nyembe so eloquently put it, a black hole of Busarian origin. If the Busarians are so hard working, then they should be able to pull themselves out of their recession, as we shall out of our own. Self reliance, a policy of helping yourself is one we must move forward with Sir.”