The next time I visited Dr Rasuawahi’s suite, the atmosphere had changed completely.
Gone were the emotional delegates and their trembling pleas.
Tonight, the room felt… operational.
Churimaka, John Knowitall, and the eternally smiling local businessman were seated around a table covered with laptops, printouts, maps, and what looked suspiciously like polling data from Juburti.
This was no longer storytelling.
This was strategy.
Rasuawahi gestured for me to sit.
“Good, good. You arrived in time,” he said. “Tonight, you will see how nations are saved.”
The way he said “saved” made me think the nation might need saving from him.
The Four Pillars of Return
Churimaka clicked a projector.
A slide appeared:
THE RETURN OF DR RASUWAHI
Pillar 1: Narrative
Pillar 2: Religious Legitimacy
Pillar 3: Foreign Support
Pillar 4: Public Emotion
He pointed at Pillar 3.
“This is the most important. And we have secured it.”
I looked at Rasuawahi.
“Foreign support? From who?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“From America, of course.”
I nearly choked on my coffee.
How America Chooses Its “Democrats”
John Knowitall stepped forward confidently.
“You must understand,” he said, “the United States does not support leaders. The United States supports interests.”
“What interests do they have in Juburti?” I asked.
John smiled as if explaining simple arithmetic.
“Oil. Minerals. Strategic access. And above all, predictability.”
“And I am predictable,” Rasuawahi declared proudly.
“Predictable?” I asked.
He leaned back.
“I keep my deals. I keep their bases. I keep my mouth shut in international forums. I do not oppose them publicly. And I do not make the mistake of siding with their enemies.”
He paused.
“And most importantly… they know I can control my people.”
Control. He said it like a man reciting a virtue.
Churimaka clicked the next slide:
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
— CONFIDENTIAL —
Subject: Support for Transitional Stability
“What is this?” I asked.
John cleared his throat.
“A confidential note from a certain department in Washington. Non-binding, but significant. It indicates openness to recognising Dr Rasuawahi should he… return to public service.”
“In simple English?” I asked.
“In simple English,” John said, “the Americans prefer him to the current Juburtian leadership.”
I leaned back.
This was no longer exile.
This was foreign-assisted reincarnation.
Why America Wants Him Back
Rasuawahi stood up and began pacing like a lecturer.
“Let me explain why powerful nations love leaders like me.”
He raised a finger.
“One: I am secular enough for them to trust me.”
Another.
“Two: I am religious enough for my people to trust me.”
Another.
“Three: I stabilise chaos. Chaos is bad for business.”
And a fourth.
“Four: I open doors to American companies. No bureaucracy. No bidding. No questions.”
He smiled with satisfaction.
“You see? I am good for everyone. Especially myself.”
A thought crossed my mind—how easily global powers embrace leaders who guarantee stability over integrity, compliance over conscience.
It was a familiar pattern in many parts of the world.
I did not say this aloud.
Rasuawahi was not the kind of man who enjoyed mirrors.
Religious Legitimacy
Churimaka moved to Pillar 2.
He clicked, revealing a slide showing photos of Juburtian clerics with captions:
Even I felt dizzy.
“Sir,” I asked, “is it wise to mix religion with politics at this level?”
He smiled, amused by my innocence.
“My dear lawyer, if you remove religion from politics, what will people cling to? Logic? Facts? Policy papers?”
He leaned closer.
“People want to feel safe and righteous. Religion does both.”
John added eagerly:
“Also, American evangelicals like him. They find him charming. And he knows how to quote Scripture when needed.”
Rasuawahi nodded modestly.
“Yes. Religion at home. Religion abroad. Let both sides feel I am chosen.”
The Masterstroke: A Return Framed as Divine and Democratic
Churimaka clicked the final slide:
PHASE 4: THE GRAND RETURN
Message:
‘The People Call. God Confirms. The World Approves.’
I stared at the slogan.
“That sounds… dangerous,” I said.
“That sounds perfect,” Rasuawahi corrected.
He lit a Havana cigar.
“You see, lawyer… the masses want a hero. The clerics want a sign. America wants a partner. The businessmen want access. The poor want hope. The frightened want order.”
He exhaled.
“And when all these desires align, a leader becomes inevitable. Even if that leader was once rejected.”
A chill danced down my spine.
People forget because someone constantly offers them a new illusion to believe in.
The Narrator’s Realisation
As the meeting ended, I stepped out of the suite with a heaviness that clung to me.
A single thought circled in my mind:
How do people forget their suffering so quickly?
Why do they return to the very men they once removed?
The answer was beginning to take shape:
People mistake desperation for revelation,
and confusion for divine signs.
They choose familiarity over reason,
emotion over memory.
And men like Dr Rasuawahi thrive not despite this,
but because of it.
Next: Chapter 11 – The Homecoming Ceremony
