In the Company of Men

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Drawing on real accounts of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, this poignant fable reflects on the strength and fragility of life and humanity's place in the world. Two boys leave their village to hunt in a nearby forest, joyfully shooting bats and cooking their catch. Tragically, within a month, they succumb to a devastating disease that local remedies and medical treatments fail to cure. As the virus spreads, experts warn against touching the sick, but it is too late for their family. The boys' father struggles to send his eldest daughter away for safety. Through moving snapshots, the narrative illustrates the Ebola epidemic's impact on various individuals: a doctor tirelessly treating patients in a sweltering tent, a student volunteering as a gravedigger while universities are closed, and a grandmother who takes in an orphaned boy rejected by his village. Overseeing these events is the ancient Baobab tree, which mourns the earth's dire state yet offers hope for the future. Acutely relevant in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the story raises critical questions about coping with global crises and combating fear and prejudice.