Diamond Boy

The following morning, Jamu shows Patson around the mines. First, he shows him PaMbada, the mining area ran by the Mazezuru syndicate. A syndicate, he explains, is “[p]eople who trust each other work together. They protect one another and they all share the profits.” From the top of a hill, Patson sees people bringing ore out of the mine and rinsing it through sieves. Jamu points out Alfred Mazezuru and his paid policeman, who’s there to make sure nobody steals diamonds. Lucky for Mazezuru, his officer is a family member—police in the mines make lots of money and kill people. Jamu also points out Musi, whom Patson realizes frightens Jamu.

Jamu leads Patson down the hill to view the “Live Show,” or the miners who don’t have the money to bribe the police or work at night. They discuss that Patson is a prince—Patson’s father is Shona royalty and would have to take on royal duties if he returned home, but Patson’s mother complicated things. The Wife has led Jamu to believe that Patson’s family is more important than they actually are. For readers, Patson explains that Shona rules forbid the Moyo (Patson’s father’s family) from marrying anyone belonging to the Shumba family, which his mother was a part of. Patson’s mother lovingly called him her “half-and-half.” As a child, Patson also learned that the Moyos disapproved of how poor Patson’s mother was.

Back in the story, Patson grudgingly tells Jamu that his mother died in a car crash when he was 10, and he snaps that the Wife exaggerates everything—for instance, they owe their lives to Boubacar. Jamu laughs at the Wife as they climb another hill. He then points to the miners working below in Mafukose Munda, the “field of dreams.”