History
Fugo is a small island nation located 5000 nautical miles off the coast of Africa, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The early inhabitants of Fugo date back to early 1550’s and were peace-loving people, with no contact with the countries across the world.They were conscious of the importance of nature and lived harmoniously with nature. Their form of government was that of self-rule and they had devised their own justice systems. They were originally hunter - gatherers and survived off the available island resources. Society comprised of nuclear family type units, with larger institutionalized communities in place.
These inhabitants worshipped the elements of nature, mainly fire and water and this religion was called “Umi”. Umi as a religion stemmed from their proximity to the volcano, Fuego and the sea Mar. The lives of natives revolved around the ocean and the volcano. Also, they accepted their fallibility and their dependence on these two elements making them realize that life was possible by the grace of these forces. Consequently, the practice of worshipping these as a religion was a result of both respect and fear.
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In the early 20th century, the Triple Entente alliance of World War I comprising of Russian Empire, the French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland set out to mission to locate new materials to make more advanced warfare. In this search, they came landed on the shores of Fugo . In the island, the volcanic eruptions resulted in the formation of a special metal called Gosic, which is an amalgamation of gold, silver and copper. The natives were already aware of Gosic and used it in their day to day activities. Considering the abundance and usefulness of the metal in making weapons for World War I, the trio set up trade channels with Fugo . Enamoured by the hospitality of the natives and the natural beauty of the island, some of the traders began to settle down in the island. The traders formed colonies separate from the natives and initially did not interact with the natives. The natives referred to these ‘outsiders’ as ‘Hafians’. This gradually led to a new city- old city divide where the new city constituted the Hafians while the old city comprised of the natives. Each city was distinctly different from other in terms of architecture, culture, religion and language leading to a different social formation.
This separation in living arrangements did not last long as the two societies began inter-mingling on the grounds of marriage and trade. This amalgamation over the years, eventually led to a new order of society where the natives and the Hafians lived together. The transformation took place over a period of 40 years though many conflicts and issues arose along the way. There were numerous clashes owing to conflicting views on who should rule the island.
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The Hafians felt that they were superior to the natives and must rule the island while the natives felt that they had lived on the island for a prolonged period and had proprietary rights over the place. The clashes resulted in loss of life and damage to property which made both the parties realize that each group was in fact helping the other group evolve organically- the Hafians enriched the natives with their knowledge of technology and the natives in turn taught the Hafians about peaceful coexistence with nature and conscientious living. Consequently, the two groups decided to cohabit, resulting in the dissolution of the the old city- new city demarcation. By the dawn of the 21st century, the island was divided into five quadrants based on the functionality of the areas. One quadrant was the commercial district, with market areas and shops, another two were consisting natural reserves and the remaining two were planned residential areas.
The main ethos of the island was fraternity and brotherhood with the view to inculcate an inclusive approach. Although,they attempted to create an egalitarian society, they couldn’t overcome the inherent power dynamics based on ownership of resources and gender hierarchies. This new society led the introduction of new forms of government, religion, language, education and culture. Today, the citizens of the island are of mixed race but they have embraced these differences and accepted that these diversities can only help the island grow and progress.
The main ethos of the island was fraternity and brotherhood with the view to inculcate an inclusive approach. Although,they attempted to create an egalitarian society, they couldn’t overcome the inherent power dynamics based on ownership of resources and gender hierarchies. This new society led the introduction of new forms of government, religion, language, education and culture. Today, the citizens of the island are of mixed race but they have embraced these differences and accepted that these diversities can only help the island grow and progress.