I'm very grateful to Jamala Safari, who shared his journey from the DRC to South Africa (hopefully soon to be a novel), unravelled acronyms and the tangle of conflicts over resources that has resulted in an estimated 5.4 million deaths in the Congo since 1998. James Bocanga, another DRC emigre who runs his own security firm in my neighbourhood, patiently explained slang and daily life, and provided translations for me.
Bishop Paul Verryn invited me to visit the Central Methodist Church, where, at the time, over three thousand refugees were living in terrible, dehumanising conditions that were nevertheless better than sleeping on the street. It was a shocking and humbling experience that has stayed with me, even though I couldn't find a way to fictionalise it. The church offered shelter during the xenophobic attacks of 2008, and continues to offersupport and assistance even as many try to ignore the dire situation of refugees in South Africa. There's been ongoing controversy about it, especially recently, but the people I met there were courageous and empathetic, and doing the best they could in the worst possible circumstances.
Tim Butcher's Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart Heart provided a great perspective on the DRC, while Jane Bussman's book provided a great perspective on the DRC, while Jane Bussman's book The Worst Date Ever: War Crimes, Hollywood The Worst Date Ever: War Crimes, Hollywood Heart-Throbs and Other Abominations Heart-Throbs and Other Abominations was a brilliant, awful and very funny resource on the LRA, specifically their actions in Uganda. was a brilliant, awful and very funny resource on the LRA, specifically their actions in Uganda.
Other books that proved invaluable include Bongani Madondo's Hot Type Hot Type; Kgebetli Moele's sad, funny, gorgeous Hillbrow novel Room 207 Room 207; Melinda Ferguson's harrowing autobiographical account of addiction, Smacked; Smacked; Kevin Bloom's devastating W Kevin Bloom's devastating Ways of Staying; and especially Penny Miller's riveting and sadly out-of-print and especially Penny Miller's riveting and sadly out-of-print Myths and Myths and Legends of Southern Africa Legends of Southern Africa which haunted my childhood with its wonderful stories and distinctly disturbing illustrations. which haunted my childhood with its wonderful stories and distinctly disturbing illustrations.
Matt Weems's fantastic website warlordsofafghanistan.com warlordsofafghanistan.com was such an intriguing and wonderful reference, I was tempted to abandon this book and write about that instead. was such an intriguing and wonderful reference, I was tempted to abandon this book and write about that instead.
Friends on Twitter leapt to help me with research questions on anything from storm drains to good places to dump a body (only a little little creepy, guys). Thanks especially to @6000 and @ghostfinder for medicinal advice, @mattduplessis, @brodiegal, @gussilber and @louisgreenberg for general Joburg advice. And to everyone else who tweeted back about different species of gun or how easy it would be to lever a gate off its hinges. creepy, guys). Thanks especially to @6000 and @ghostfinder for medicinal advice, @mattduplessis, @brodiegal, @gussilber and @louisgreenberg for general Joburg advice. And to everyone else who tweeted back about different species of gun or how easy it would be to lever a gate off its hinges.
Various 419 scammers were very helpful in sending reference material direct to my inbox (you're welcome to contact me to claim a percentage of my royalties, although there may be a small administrative cost involved), but I owe greater thanks to the good people of 419eater.com 419eater.com and and ScamWarners.com ScamWarners.com, the South African 419 Unit of the SAPS, and the victims I interviewed for Marie Claire Marie Claire and and Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan stories for their insight into scams and scamming syndicates. stories for their insight into scams and scamming syndicates.
Thanks to my meticulous and highly critical readers: Sarah Lotz, Sam Wilson, Zukiswa Wanner, Lindiwe Nkutha, Verashni Pillay, Nechama Brodie, Charlie Human, Louis Greenberg and my husband, Matthew Brown you all helped make this book what it is.
Genius illustrators John Picacio and Joey Hifi created the two most beautiful covers in the world for the international and South African editions of the book respectively. They're both incredible in different ways, and both artists took time out of their insane schedules to do the work. I'm grateful.
Marc "Marco" Gascoigne and Lee Harris at Angry Robot, and Pete van der Woude and Maggie Davey at Jacana have been exceptional and brilliant people to work with, as has been my editor, Helen Moffett.
Finally, thanks to my family and friends especially to Matthew and Keitu for making everything worth it.
About the Author.
Lauren Beukes is a writer, TV scriptwriter and recovering journalist (although she occasionally falls off the wagon). She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town under Andre Brink, but she got her real education in ten years of freelance journalism, learning really useful skills like how to pole-dance and make traditional sorghum beer. For the sake of a story, she's jumped out of planes and into shark-infested waters, and got to hang out with teen vampires, township vigilantes, AIDS activists and homeless sex workers among other interesting folk.
She lives in Cape Town with her husband and daughter.
www.moxyland.com
EXTRA.
MOXYLAND WINNERS.
Extras
Moxyland Short Story Winners
Last summer Angry Robot ran a competition in association with Authonomy.com to write a short story based around Lauren Beuke's Authonomy.com to write a short story based around Lauren Beuke's debut novel, debut novel, Moxyland Moxyland. The winning three entries as judged by Lauren, herself are presented here. These stories may be read Lauren, herself are presented here. These stories may be read without having enjoyed without having enjoyed Moxyland Moxyland, but we think you'll get the most out of them if you've read the novel. So go read it. We'll wait. most out of them if you've read the novel. So go read it. We'll wait.
The Minutes // Sam Wilson
INATEC BIOLOGICA INC.
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.
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MINUTES OF MEETING #4586 Ref. 32
Dated 27-09-2019 ATTENDING: (5) (5).
List By Corporate Status.
Nwabisa Mthini, Vice president of marketing, Ghost Inc. (subsidiary of Praetorian Global) Harold Brown, Legal Division: Corporate relations, Inatec Biologica Jacques du Plessis, Corporate alignment official, Actisponse Private Security (Police Affiliated) Busisiwe Zono, Liaison, Vukani Media Jules Dyonashe, Bioinformatics Applications Div, Inatec Biologica
ABSENT: (None) (None)
START TIME: 21.45 21.45.
- Automatic reading of minutes of previous meeting by FACILIT4TOR PRO is cancelled at 0:07.
- Brown (Inatec) thanks all present for attending.
- Mthini (Ghost Inc) tells Brown (Inatec) to cut the bullshit.
- Mthini (Ghost Inc) reminds all present of the details of the enhanced branding campaign for the soft drink Ghost. Salient points are:
1) Vukani Media, in association with Inatec Biologica, was contracted to enhance the branding of the soft drink Ghost.
2) The enhancement was to include cellular-level biological modification of Ghost Inc.'s brand ambassadors.
3) The modification was to bring the brand ambassadors in line with the Ghost brand, as laid out in the Ghost Inc. Brand Bible Version 5.5 (Doc 564. Not found in archive).
4) The key phrases of the Ghost brand are: Youth, Aspiration, Peergroup Bonding, and Safe (pro-consumption) Creativity. - Mthini (Ghost Inc.) tells Du Plessis (Actisponse) to play Media File #13-586 [not found in archive].
[ SUMMARY OF MEDIA FILE #13-586.