Watu wa Umoja wa Alkebulan

The Watu wa Umoja wa Alkebulan (abbr WUA; English: United People of Alkebulan) is the name of both a multinational corporate conglomerate and a supranational elective monarchy that functions as a unifying government across the continent of Alkebulan (formerly: Africa).

History

After the collapse of the United States government in -311 GE and subsequent rapid rise in political extremism and conflict in Europe, multinational conglomerates in Alkebulan turned to developing social and economic stability across the continent as the key to their own continued existence and success. Founders, CEOs, and wealthy investors in fourteen of the largest of these companies (the "Big 14") began to meet regularly to discuss shared concerns and possible solutions.
The central theme in these meetings, according to unofficial reports, was the question of how to provide proper care for the people and nations of Alkebulan. The companies of the Big 14 touched every aspect of people's day-to-day lives: manufacturing, construction, investment, finance, transportation, fuel and energy, consumer durables, food, mineral resources, retail, entertainment, and telecommunications. They realized that by working together they would have more power to fulfill the Bantu ideal of the purpose of government—to protect and perpetuate life—than any political institution formed under colonial influence.
In the years between -297 and -290 GE, the Big 14 executed a series of contracts that eventually became known as the "United People" contracts. Although the contracts are complex, nuanced, and extensive, they follow a pattern that can be summarized as three promises: (1) follow sustainability practices that leverage the best available technology and science; (2) engage with offshore entities using an "Alkebulan kwa Alkebulan" mindset, to ensure that Alkebulan labor and resources are used first and foremost to benefit the land and people of Alkebulan; and (3) distribute any new technology, resources, and wealth acquired after execution of the contracts across all signatories, spreading resources in a way that empowers nations to realize the goals of the first two promises.
Much of this was purely "theoretical" until the collapse of the fishing industry in -285 GE. The world was already in chaos, with major governments collapsing all around the world and droughts and flooding decimating populations. Nations around the world realized that the only alternative resources with any production and distribution systems in place were seaweed and algae. Within two years, the demand and revenue of the seaweed and algae farms in Tanganyika and Zanzibar increased by a factor of more than 100. And because of the United People contracts, this sudden influx of weath was distributed across the entire continent to fund irrigation, water conservation, sustainable farming technologies, and other basic infrastructure.
People felt immediate benefits in their day-to-day lives, generating even more support for the corporate consolidation that made it possible. In -222 GE, the Big 14 executed a merger to form the Watu wa Umoja wa Alkebulan, a corporate holding company organized with an explicit political and religious purpose: to unify the nations of Alkebulan with a singular economic vision and traditional values.

Structure

The articles of formation of the Watu wa Umoja wa Alkebulan describe it as a multinational, multi-industry holding company that integrates a traditional Bantu approach to government with well-established corporate structures that are familiar to business entities around the world. The governing corporate body is headed by a CEO who is also the Mfalme Mkuu or "Great King" who fulfills the role of "protector of the people" conferred upon them by God and the ancestors. A Court of Operations functions as the Board of Directors, and is constituted by the highest-ranking leaders from each nation in Alkebulan. Within their constituent nations, the leaders or afumu have nearly complete autonomy as long as they uphold the terms of the "United People" contracts.
The WUA recognizes two types of nation among its constituents: territory-based nations and nomadic heritage-based nations. This nod of recognition and respect for traditional cultures has earned the WUA fierce loyaly among some, although the recognition of such a large number of diverse populations quite naturally results in a certain amount of constant, ongoing chaos and conflict as well.

Culture

The primary mission of a Mfalme Mkuu is to protect life and to perpetuate it. This includes both human life and the ecological systems of the land. The ecological and environmental components of the "United People" contracts are always interpreted through the religious symbolism of the role of the Mfalme Mkuu. Although the WUA government sees its role as primarily economic, leaving other political matters to the local institutions of its constituent nations, local protests and unrest will require the Court of Operations to get involved in matters of security and peacekeeping from time to time as well.
For example, Wahadza and Sandawe protests began to pop up throughout Tanganyika as early as -122 GE. These groups objected to the pan-continental government being so strongly influenced by the culture of the Bantu, whom they see as colonizers who invaded their lands. Similar antinormative protests appeared regularly across the rest of the continent as well, but the Wahadza and Sandawe gain the bulk of attention because they lay claim to the regions directly responsible for the newest source of wealth for the continent: the seaweed and algae farms that line the eastern coast.
Some outside observers speculate that the need to manage and "put down" protests and uprisings is the main reason for the WUA's lack of interest or participation in any of the space exploration projects that enticed the other superpowers in the first centuries of the Galactic Era. Officially, however, the WUA has declared that it has not participated in space exploration projects simply because space exploration and inter-power competition are not in line with the "Alkebulan kwa Alkebulan" principle, and are foolish distractions away from the primary goal that any power should have: to protect its people.

Founded: -222 GE

Nomenclature

Alternative Name(s)

Abantu Abahlangene Alkebulan (Zulu language)
United People of Alkebulan (English Language)

Short Name(s)

WUA

Official Language(s)

Kiswahili
isiZulu
English

Power Structure

Government System

Monarchy, Elective

Internal Organization

Transnational government

Economic System

Command/Planned economy

Capital

Mzizima, Tanganyika