THE REBELS ATTACK MATTRU JONG
Sierra Leone 1993.
Who was involved?: Ishmael, Junior, Gibrilla, Kaloko, Talloi, Khalilou and his family.
When did the event happen?: The event happened sometime after the boys arrived Mattru Jong after having escaped from Kabati in a period of around two weeks until the attack, approximately in February 1993.
Where did the event happen?: The event took place in Mattru Jong and its swamp.
What happened?: The rebels attacked Mattru Jong in a very unexpected date that had nothing to do with the dates they had stated on their letters, people trusted they would not arrive but hey did and killed a lot of people during the attack.
Why did it happen?: The rebels attacked Mattru Jong because of their “revolution”, people were not prepared to this attack because they believed the rebels were not coming and because they’d announced their arrival but didn’t show up more than once. Also, the army that was supposed to protect them ran away before the rebels arrived.
SECOND MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTER
We decided to rank the attack to Mattru Jong as the second most important event of the novel because we consider that the fact of Ishmael being able to escape from this attack gives a narrative hook to the novel, it also affects the way his personal relationships with the boys will change, it also gives an opening to two repetitive situations that happen throughout the novel which are hunger and violence. This chapter had a great impact on the characters because after some time they felt safe in Mattru Jong because they believed the rebels were not coming, but then all of a sudden they did, which made them feel war extremely close again, to the point in which their lives were in a direct risk.