An Asymmetric fight by Adamou Amadou

since the beginning of the official lockdown decided by the government, the inhabitants of my village were no longer at ease: small businesses,public and private schools, everything was shut down for an unlimited time. Oh, oh, how unfortunate! No more jobs for adults themselves, let alone the youth. Given the fact that gatherings of more than fifty people were prohibited, kashim and two of his friends sat in the shade of a big baobab tree to discuss their ill fate. They were all married and fathers of at least two. How could they manage to feed their families in such a situation? The only people whose activities seemed not to be disturbed were farmers who had the possibility to continue working. The three young men kept lamenting till Bosho, one them, talked about a quite interesting rumour: " They say that the government will send food stuffs to support villagers ", he stated. " That would be great " replied Kashim , his face beaming with joy. Sanda, on his part, equally appreciated the initiative, though it remained a rumour, yet to be confirmed by the local authorities. So, they were tasting the good news when they saw in the distance, two strangers coming towards them. Were those government officials bringing aid? Let's wait and see. The two new comers, apparently a man and a woman, kept coming till they reached the baobab tree where the three young villagers were sitting. Everyone was eager to hear them say something hopefully helpful. "Good afternoon young men", the man greeted them gently with a smile, then he continued: " I am Dr Bulama and this is Dr Jamila, my colleague. We are both from the health regional delegation in Maroua. " You are welcome Sir." replied the villagers almost simultaneously. The female doctor took the floor on her part to inform them: " We are here today on behalf of the health regional delegate to sensitise you about the new deadly disease which is called the Corona virus. If you have flu- like symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, running nose or difficulty in breathing, you should get tested and eventually be taken in charge freely until you recover. Bosho replied: " what you are saying is quite good, but we have another problem which is our main concern now: There is no more jobs, no food and we are starving.", he concluded. Dr Bulama then tried to give an answer: " well, the government is aware of the situation, but there is an urgent need to protect the populations from the virus, health first, you know. That's why we are here to talk about measures to be taken to protect yourselves and others too. Wash your hands regularly with water and soap or use hydro alcoholic solution for that, wear face masks and observe social distances, that is, keep a distance of at least one metre between you and others." Dr Jamila added this: " Before I forget, we are also going to spray your homes with chemicals to disinfect them". After those long statements, the three friends became more and more impatient since they didn't hear what they wanted to: subvention from the government or any humanitarian aid. Sanda and Kashim got so frustrated and angry that the latter said: "We don't understand this policy. How is it that they close schools and businesses without any subvention for small enterprises, the whole village is shut down. Everybody is kept home, annoyed and starving. All you have been saying is music to our ears given the situation we have found ourselves in. when you are talking of Corona virus, we rather hear something else: Corona hunger.", he concluded. Now, would the villagers cooperate with the health care providers regarding the disinfection process? Just wait and see.