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Commander Jesus
Patson’s Uncle James runs the Banda mining syndicate in Marange. He has two wives, Prisca and Kuda, and two sons, Musi and Jamu. He’s exacting and cruel as a boss, punishing miners for not working hard enough and expecting more work than anyone else from his two sons. Patson, however, doesn’t initially see a problem with this, as he believes Uncle James when he tells Patson that mining, and finding a girazi, will make Patson a man. Still, Patson recognizes many clues pointing to James’s lack of ethics, as when Arves shares that he was one of the first to find a girazi in Marange—and the deal James struck with Arves’s uncle was a terribly unfair deal for Arves. When President Mugabe begins Operation No Return, Commander Jesus takes over the Banda mine from James, renaming it and forcing James to mine alongside his former employees.
Uncle James Banda Quotes in Diamond Boy
The Diamond Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle James Banda or refer to Uncle James Banda. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
“But there are spies everywhere and if those boys are reported to the syndicate bosses or the police catch them selling diamonds...well, let’s just say that I’ve heard some terrible things.”
“My brother, James, says there are diamonds for everyone,” said the Wife. “And he runs the best mine in Marange, so he should know. I’m sure you are exaggerating.”
“James Banda hates mailashas,” muttered the driver, glaring at me in his rearview mirror. “You don’t talk to these boys. Ever. You understand?”
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Chapter 6 Quotes
“Think what a stone like this could mean to your family, Patson?”
I didn’t understand why he was asking me that question. He seemed to be testing me but all I could see was the sparkling white light of the stone, which he twirled lovingly between his thumb and index finger.
“This stone you cannot hold. You have to find your own, Patson, and it will define your future.”
I was vaguely aware of my father clearing his throat. He called my name, softly, as if he was reminding me of something. I ignored him, even though I knew it was wrong to do so. Had I been an obedient son, I would have listened to him.
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Chapter 10 Quotes
I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t want to be skeptical in case my doubts somehow canceled out the prophet’s blessing. All I knew for certain after seeing those purple pockets fill with other people’s money was that Prophet Ubert Angel had come to Marange and found his own version of a girazi.
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Uncle James Banda Character Timeline in Diamond Boy
The timeline below shows where the character Uncle James Banda appears in Diamond Boy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...outside their syndicate, but it’s very dangerous. The Wife says that according to her brother, James Banda, “there are diamonds for everyone”—she doesn’t believe the driver.
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Chapter 2
...the Wife has been saying “[d]iamonds for everyone” to Patson’s father, relaying what her brother, James Banda, told her. In Marange, she said, they wouldn’t have to be poor and ashamed...
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Patson tells the man that James Banda, the Wife’s brother, will pay him if he gets them to Marange safely. The...
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Chapter 4
...whoever wears it. They walk for hours. Patson is barely conscious, but he knows Uncle James is to blame for all of this.
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...with a man who will lead them through this area—which belongs to the Mazezuru syndicate—to James Banda’s camp. Another miner joins them. As they walk, Boubacar explains that these people mine...
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Chapter 5
...only in the fields to watch out for magombiro—and he asks the Wife to tell James Banda that. Boubacar motions for Patson to follow his family, but Patson returns to his...
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Chapter 6
From the table, James Banda asks if Jamu took something that wasn’t his. Banda is studying pebbles with a...
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Banda then calls Patson forward and puts a few coarse diamonds in his hand. He explains...
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...are the diamonds and the money they’re worth. A girazi could change his family’s life. Banda asks if Patson wants to be a man, and when Patson nods, Banda says Patson...
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Chapter 7
Kondozi Farm, where the Bandas live, is outside of Mutare. It used to belong to a wealthy white farmer, and...
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...Mr. Ngoko at the Junction Gate High School, and the possibility of government housing, Uncle James and Jamu laugh: the school shut down. He says Patson should work in the mines....
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...School. Before she drives away, she laughs and says that if Patson’s father listens to James Banda, he can support his family “like a man should.” Ashamed of his father, Patson...
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...been able to do so as a teacher, it’s humiliating to have to ask Uncle James for a job. Even Patson is embarrassed by how his father asks for work. Uncle...
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Chapter 9
...sheds. He insists he isn’t upset about having to sleep in Kuda’s room—she’s always with James, so he’ll basically have his own room. The boys make jokes likening dour Prisca to...
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Chapter 10
...explains how the diamonds ended up on the earth’s surface and leads Patson to the Banda Hill mine. Unlike the others, it’s fenced with security guards, there’s a creek at the...
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Jamu hurries Patson away from Uncle James to find Prophet Ubert. Patson notices his father among the other miners, struggling with a...
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Chapter 11
...Chipo, Arves, and Jamu. Together, they form the secret gwejana (child miner) syndicate within the Banda syndicate. To Patson, it feels like they’re playing a treasure hunting game, but with real...
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...watch miners being searched as they leave the mine, Patson asks what happens if Uncle James finds out about the gwejana syndicate and their ngodas. Jamu insists that they turn in...
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Chapter 12
Patson finds his first girazi because of Uncle James’s anger. As James stomps around the mine, shouting into his phone, miners whisper that he’s...
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...the man his shoes. But Arves stands up for Patson and asks Jamu what’s bothering Banda so much. Jamu reveals that the army is coming. This puts the teens in a...
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Chapter 14
...back into the building, Patson asks for help selling some ngodas—Patson hasn’t told his Uncle James or his father about them. Boubacar scolds Patson for taking this risk and demands the...
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...can take stones to Boubacar, and the Baron will keep their dealings a secret from James Banda. Patson trusts Boubacar and, noticing an almost imperceptible nod, Patson agrees to the arrangement....
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Chapter 15
Arves suddenly bursts into the office, shouting that Patson’s father and Uncle James are coming, along with the police and the army. The CIO have raided the Dairy...
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Chapter 16
...end illegal mining—and stop people from “stealing” from President Mugabe. The driver then pulls Uncle James and Musi from the jeep. They’re both bloody, and Musi appears to be unconscious. Commander...
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Patson begins to crawl toward Uncle James, hoping he knows something about his father. He shakes Musi awake, and Musi angrily shares...
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Chapter 21
...Patson to pass out again. When he comes to, Jamu is there, promising that Uncle James will find Patson a doctor if Patson hands over his girazis. In an unfriendly tone,...
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