In the hours and days following Vanessa’s idea of forming a cooperative to sell the village produce, she and Ralph endlessly discussed the kind of things they could do – things that they thought would make a real difference.
List after list littered the floor of their hut. Ralph wrote down the names of possible sponsors – people who owed him favours and would be happy to participate. Vanessa wrote down every product she could think of that could be sold and then both she and Ralph tried to look at the logistics of the whole thing. From producing, to harvesting, to storing, to marketing and – a major stumbling block in itself – getting the stuff out of the jungle.
‘We need to organise a meeting with the villagers,’ Ralph said, ‘before we get too carried away. Find out exactly how they would like things to work – if in fact they think it’s a good idea.’
‘You do think they’ll go for it, don’t you?’ Vanessa asked anxiously. ‘It’s for their future, not ours.’
Ralph was silent for a moment. ‘I’m not sure. Remember the warning I was given before my accident not to interfere? Not all the villagers like us – me – being here. This Rio guy seems to have the villagers agreeing to his boss’s every move. You need to convince the head shaman that the villagers will benefit. It’s all a matter of trust,’ he added. ‘They like you so hopefully they will trust you enough to work with you.’ He glanced at her. ‘You know what they call you, don’t you?’
Vanessa shook her head.
‘Pacchumama – roughly translated it means Earth Mother. They love the way you are with the animals and the children.’
Vanessa smiled. ‘Do they really? Maybe at the celebration tonight we can put our ideas to them and see if they’ve got any of their own,’ Vanessa said. ‘You’re right – we do need to get them involved from the very beginning – if only to prove to them we don’t have any ulterior motives.’
‘You do realise just how much it is going to take to get this project off the ground and to keep it running?’ Ralph said. ‘I’m not just talking about money here – it’s going to take a huge amount of time.’
‘I know, but we’ve got to try,’ Vanessa replied.
‘I’ll give you all the help I can, but I’m already committed to other projects when we get back. I won’t be around full-time – most of the organising will fall on you.’
‘Organising is something I’m good at. And Nanette will want to get involved too, I know. It’s the kind of work she always used to excel at,’ Vanessa said. ‘Right, I’ll talk to Angela and the others, and tonight at the celebration party for your recovery we can talk to the villagers about our idea.’
Angela was openly enthusiastic, but some of the other women were hostile to the idea and Vanessa found herself having to explain time and time again how a cooperative would work to their advantage. And, no, she repeatedly assured them, she wouldn’t personally benefit from it.
By the time she was sitting on the floor next to the head shaman that evening and outlining the way the villagers could protect their own futures, it was clear that opinion was divided.
‘We have an agreement with the outsider,’ said the head shaman, resplendent in his native dress and war paint. ‘He is already helping with the gold mine and next year he has promised to help with equipment for the nut harvest. His man is due here soon to pay us for the gold we have mined, so we shall have money for necessary supplies.’
At his words, Vanessa felt her heart sink. ‘You don’t think our idea will work and be better for the village?’
He held his hand up to stop her. ‘We are people of our word. So, I thank you for your concerns, but we are already committed.’
Beside her, Angela said something quickly and the shaman answered with an emphatic shake of his head before he stood up and moved away.
‘Is that it, then?’ Vanessa said, turning to Angela.
Angela nodded. ‘The men are sure this man will do more to help us – besides, they are also aware of the dangers of upsetting him,’ she added quietly.
‘What about the women? They could do something themselves,’ Vanessa said, trying to hide her disappointment.
Angela shook her head. ‘The men would forbid it.’
Later that night when Vanessa and Ralph had returned to their hut and were preparing to climb into their hammocks, she said sadly, ‘I was really looking forward to organising the co-op. I even had a name ready, Fruits of the Forest.’
‘Maybe it’s for the best,’ Ralph said, trying to comfort her. ‘We’ll be home in a few weeks. You’ll have to put your organisational skills to work on marketing my film. Bring the plight of the jungle and its inhabitants to the world’s attention that way.’
‘Of course, I’ll do everything possible to publicise your film,’ Vanessa said, ‘but I wanted to do something, try to make a difference, myself. I still can’t believe that they’ve turned the idea of a cooperative down because of some sleazy guy the head shaman has given his word to.’ She paused. ‘This outsider, as the shaman calls him, clearly thinks he’s on to something sending his henchman from Rio all this way into the forest.’
‘I wonder who he is?’ Ralph added thoughtfully.
Vanessa shrugged and shook her head. ‘We’ll never know. I just wish the villagers could see that the cooperative would have given them so much more control over their own future – and that of the jungle,’ she added.
For the next couple of weeks, Ralph concentrated on recovering from his accident and getting as much filming done as possible, before they began their long trek back to civilisation and then home. With their day of departure still some time away, Vanessa found herself thinking increasingly about the twins.
Keeping in touch had proved as impossible as she’d known it would from so deep in the jungle and she was looking forward to reaching Manaus on the Amazon in a week or two and being able to telephone them. She’d missed them so much and couldn’t wait to hug them both tight to her.
She didn’t mention the cooperative idea to anyone again and was surprised when late one afternoon, Angela brought the subject up as they prepared bowls of vegetables for the evening meal together.
‘Do you really believe your idea of a cooperative would work for the village?’
‘Of course,’ Vanessa said. ‘It would take a few months to organise and find outlets, but it’s the kind of thing I’m good at doing. The village would be totally self-supporting – nobody could muscle their way in and take the profits like they do now.’
Angela placed a bowl of vine leaves on the table before looking at Vanessa. ‘The villagers are angry with you and Ralph. The man from Rio has failed to come to buy our gold.’ Angela paused. ‘Some of the men think you have put the evil eye on it.’
Vanessa looked at her, horrified.
‘The shaman is insisting that you and Ralph attend a village council meeting this evening. He wants to hear what you have to say before deciding what to do about you.’