The new oil field
The day was winding down in the desert community in Saudi Arabia. Men were resting, smoking their pipes and exchanging jokes. The women were sipping tea while the children were playing in the sand.
Suddenly, Talib, one of the villagers and a Caucasian man were seen running towards them. “We have discovered oil in our village. We’ll be rich !” Talib shouted to the villagers in an excited voice.
Everyone became excited and there was a lot of commotion. One of them told the others to calm down so that Talib could explain the situation to them. They then sat around in a circle while Talib explained that an American company represented by the Caucasian man had been drilling for oil in their village. Today, they discovered, that underneath the land, there was a huge oil field. The company wanted to develop it and would buy the villagers’ land for a great sum of money. The Caucasian man mentioned the sums that the company was willing to pay. A few people gasped with wonder. He then left, and the villagers started to argue.
A majority of them especially the younger men, agreed with Talib that they should sell their land and, with the money, start a new life. “After all, what do we have here ?” said one young man. “Nothing except goats, sand and mud houses. That remarks angered some of the people. Ben Ahmad, a respected member of the community stood up and said that this was ancestral land which had supported them and their ancestors for many generations. “How dare you look down on your community,” he continued. “Do not be blinded by money. Here we all care for each other, and our culture must always remain strong.” The whole room was silent for a while. Then it was agreed that they would vote on the matter in a week’s time.
From that time onwards, the oil field discovery was the main topic of conversation, Some people started dreaming of moving to the city and buying a lot of gold, while others could not bear to imagine leaving their beloved homes. People who wanted to sell their land were constantly arguing with those who did not want to sell. Old friends became enemies over the issue. Then the day of voting came. Those who had decided to sell their land outnumbered those who wanted to stay by a slim majority.
The American company quickly arranged the sale and purchase of the land, and soon it was time for the villagers to leave. Since it would be their last time together, they put aside their disagreements and bade each other farewell.
Two years later, Ben Ahmed came back to his old village to pay a visit. He could not believe what he saw. Huge oil rigs had been built on the land. Instead of the music of the desert wind and the rustle of the sand, pounding noises from the rigs fill the air. He realized that the black oil is so powerful that it can change so many lives.
