Kuto’s life was filled with revulsion. He had seen too much death and destruction, first in his native Angola, then during his years as a mercenary fighting in various wars across Africa. Now, he was living in a remote village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, trying to forget his past and start anew.
The villagers were suspicious of Kuto at first, but eventually they grew to accept him as one of their own. He worked hard, helping them with whatever tasks needed to be done. And slowly but surely, he began to feel at home here.
One day, Kuto was out working in the fields when he heard shouting coming from the village center. He rushed over to see what was going on and saw that a group of men were attacking a woman. Without thinking any further, he ran into the fray and fought off the attackers.
The woman thanked him profusely afterwards and told him that her name was Nila. She invited him to her home for dinner that night as a way of thanking him for saving her life. Kuto accepted graciously and went back to finish up his work for the day.
That night, over dinner, Nila told Kuto about her life: how she had been forced into prostitution by rebel soldiers during Angola’s civil war; how she had managed to escape and make her way across Africa; how she had finally found refuge here in this small village where everyone looked out for each other like family . . .
