nedal2001

[quote name='IL.' timestamp='1348310644'] Very nice, the city and how to orgenise the buildings is great, it makes everything looks in it's wright place, but what's up with all those slums? I mean that's too much, I don't think such small city can handle them. [/quote] Hence why the unemployment level is rising! Actually, if you were to look at most African cities, you would see that 80% of them are usually poorer areas while only around 20% are middle and upper class areas. Since Desera is a poor country, thats why you see so many slums. Those that do have work are laborers and unskilled workers. Fishing and livestock breeding is quite popular, but many have also found jobs in the industrial sector and as cleaners, janitors, maids, etc. Contracting companies have also been hiring quite a few number of people as well, lately.

[quote name='TekindusT' timestamp='1348309148'] This is a fancy HQ! Wasn't the seaport going to be expanded? [/quote] There is actually going to be a new seaport! It is situated to the west of town - work has already begun!

Year Seven Year Seven was a turbulent one in the short history of the new nation – the first sign of trouble appeared when the leader of Torani tribe, Anwar Torani, challenged and insulted the rest of the Desera Council, which led to a flare-up that almost spiraled out of control. The Torani tribe, which resided in the Borkan Mountains in northern Desera and were known as the fiercest fighters in the land, then announced that it would no longer report to the Desera Council, and that the Borkan Mountains were now an autonomous state within Desera. This, of course, did not sit well with the rest of the tribes, some of whom wanted immediate action and others who wanted the replicate what Anwar Torani had done. It had put the Royal President Sidebe Mallam in the tightest position of his seven year reign, telling his son, Prince Diallo Mallam, no matter what was decided, Desera “would lose.” Under the new threat from the Borkan Mountains, the Royal President secretly gave the green light to his son to begin stocking up the Deseran Armed Forces for an imminent invasion of the Borkan Mountains. The Royal President did this with a heavy heart and without the console of his council – he knew that the Desera Council’s unity was now at its weakest and most fragile point, and only a show of power could win back the loyalty of the other tribal leaders. It was not his way; indeed, he detested the decision he had to take, but it had to be done, and he knew no one more fit for the job than his own militant son, Prince Diallo. As Year Seven drew to a close, the military was in preparation for its first test – to recapture the Borkan Mountains. A typical village in the Borkan Mountains. Back in Kafra, the local economy was really picking up, which led to the Desera Council’s approval to construct a new headquarters for the Bank of Desera. The twelve story building was built across from the University of Kafra on Masjid Street, costing the Ministry of Finance E40 million upon completion. The old Bank of Desera building, which sat across from the House of Council, was still operational as a branch of the bank, but all the administrative offices were moved to the new building. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance was moved out of the House of Council and took over the last three floors of the new building, which was officially christened the Bank of Desera HQ Building. Kafra’s population was 41,077 at the end of Year Seven, as growth continued to be extremely high. Most newcomers lived in the shanty towns that surrounded central Kafra, but there were some well-off families, mostly from western Africa and the Middle East region, who had immigrated to Desera and set up a home in the new nation. Unemployment, however, was beginning to become an issue the council had to tackle – a lot of the poor that were setting up homes in Kafra were finding it hard to get jobs. The industrial and commercial sectors, while growing, were not keeping up with the huge spike in population, while the federal government was not setting up enough projects to employ a large number of people. There was one project, however, that was started towards the end of the year that promised to employ quite a good amount of people – the new Kafra seaport project. Situated to the west of the city, the new seaport was going to cost the Deseran government almost E800 million in its entirety, and the contractors were a mix of foreign companies and local ones. The Desera Council, amidst all the chaos that was going on inside of it, managed also to set up a new team which was tasked with exploring the natural resources of Desera, both known and unknown. It was called the Deseran Natural Resources Authority (DNRA), and their first mission, to begin in Year Eight, was to find out what other natural resources and minerals was available in Desera other than oil. With the exception of the Borkan Mountains, the Desera Council was finding success in setting up its authority across the land, and that was making it easier to spread the welfare system and investment in other parts of the country. Small villages and settlements were popping up everywhere, and in an end of year meeting, the council informed the Ministry of Transportation that it had to do better in create road access all across Desera. Their budget would be increased, despite most of the surplus in the government coffers going to the new seaport project, but results were expected in a year’s time, as well. A shot from the corner of Masjid Street and Beach Road.

Man what an entry! All the pictures are simply amazing, but the one with the overview of town showing how it has changed over the years simply blew me away Business seems to be picking up in the center of town - I wonder what is going to spur on the next wave of immigrants to SorGun?

How does one vote?

Review was great - very in depth, very thorough. It really shows that you took your time and read the entire CJ - something that Im sure will be very much appreciated by your readers and the CJ writers you will be reviewing I agree with SimCoug in that adding pictures could add yet another element to what has been an outstanding start!

Thats some more major expansion going on there

Funnily enough, I do quite a lot of business in the real life Al Quoz And in response to titanicbuff, IL. is right - a warehouse is a warehouse no matter where you are in the world. It is going to look the same. Great update!

Keeping SC4 alive - Im on board! Cant wait to see more of this

I guess I'll go first - I'll say Fort Green Hope - the area is so green and the feel is so positive. Especially after the war, people would have been looking for that

So today, I just wanted to showcase some pictures from around Kafra. Lets call it a glorified teaser! Kafra’s most prestigious neighborhood, Akhdar. By contrast, the slums that surround Mallam Road as it enters Kafra from the south. Masjid Street, around the University of Kafra, is a great place to find Deseran Revivalist architecture. Kafra’s industrial sector is slowly starting to grow, situated around the western end of the town. The Bahr Mosque and the Church of Peace on Masjid Street, across from the Kafra Fish Market, which comes alive in the dying hours of the night.

[quote name='Luiz P. Romanini' timestamp='1348007819'] TWO THINGS: 1 - Excellent first and last shots. They've won this teaser. 2 - You said this was just a teaser. So when the next real update will come out? [/quote] HI all, and thanks for the wonderful comments! Luiz, thanks so much for your very kind, very flattering review! I would say the real update is a couple of days away

Year Three The biggest happening in Year Three was, bar none, the commencement of service by Desera Airlines. Having taken delivery of a brand new Airbus 320-200, the airline began flying to six destinations: London, Paris, Dakar, Abidjan, Accra, and Lagos. The European destinations were twice weekly non-stop flights, called flights NA0001 and NA0002. The third flight, NA0003, was Kafra-Dakar-Abidjan-Dakar-Kafra, operated once a week to the two francophone capitals of West Africa. The final flight, serving Accra and Lagos, was also flown once a week to the two largest English speaking cities in West Africa. The airline was heralded as a huge success by the Desera Council, and saw almost maximum capacity in each of its flights since it began operating. The Royal President Sidebe Mallam flew in the inaugural flight to London, arriving in the United Kingdom for the first time in hopes of finding investment to further increase the oil production in Desera. The West African flights saw many foreign traders coming in to invest in the new country, having heard of the low taxes and lack of import duty. Overall, the airline was, indeed, a resounding success and a project well done by the Ministry of Transportation and the Desara Aviation Authority, one that brought in the admiration and approval of the Royal President. Kafra’s population during Year Three had jumped from 1,231 to 5,183 – a remarkable rate of growth that had the town’s population more than quadruple in just twelve months. Most of the development were small clay and tin houses that were extremely cheap to construct, and were done without the approval of the Desera Council or acquiring the land they sat on. For the time being, the council was turning a blind eye towards these happenings, in hopes of continuing the expansion of the town. In the southern part of the town, closest to the coast, the houses constructed were mostly by fishermen who had found the comfort of life in Kafra much kinder than the harsh life in the rural desert. Every morning, hundreds of small wooden boats would come in from the Atlantic with fresh fish, the market of which could be found on Masjid Street, opposite the newly constructed Kafra Church of Peace. The nicer part of town was more central - whenever a land was sold legally through the government, the Desera Council would send out the Kafra Police to clear the plot of any illegal dwellers, but they would simply move to an area further out and construct yet another illegal house. Speaking the Kafra Church of Peace, its construction was an initiative taken by the Desera Council to make sure that the small but growing Christian population in the country had a place of worship. In an effort to show solidarity between its people, it chose to construct the church just opposite the Bahr Mosque, on the corner of Masjid Street and 1st Street. The project cost around E5 million to be completed and was aptly named the Kafra Church of Peace, a symbolic name that stood for the Deseran hope that they would always have peace. The Kafra Church of Peace and Bahr Mosque. Another project that the Desera Council, through the Ministry of Finance, was the Bank of Desera, on the corner of Mallam Road and the newly constructed Bank Street. It was situated just opposite the Independence Hall, and was the first financial institution to be operation in the country. It was own fully by the Desera Council, and at the time of its completion, it was the most modern building in the entire country, save for Terminal One at the Kafra International Airport. The Bank of Desera and Independence Hall. It was not all rosy behind the scenes, however – constant bickering between the tribal leaders in the Desera Council had left the Royal President in a bind. He was finding it impossible to please everyone, and some were even raising silent accusations that the Royal President was favoring his Mallam tribe more than the others. The Desera Council needed order and control, but that was difficult to do without alienating some of the tribes. In order for the council to continue to succeed, there had to be representatives of the majority of the tribes, especially the larger ones. It was still at a point where the bickering was just that, but if the disagreements continued, then the consequences would be more dire, especially as the country began to flourish. For what it was worth, however, they were doing a decent job in Kafra and beyond. Small settlements were getting power and running water, as well as local representative offices of the Desera Council all over the country. In Kafra, even the illegal houses were all connected to the grid, they were putting a lot of money into developing the road network within the town to further facilitate its planned growth. They had also finally put in plans to begin construction on the Kafra Preparatory School and the Kafra Public Hospital. Education would be free to the public save for the E100 enrollment fee, but healthcare would not be. In response to that, however, the government would introduce the National Health Insurance (NHI), which would grant free healthcare for anyone registered with it. The Royal President’s trip to Europe to bring in further investment into the country went reasonably well – his main aim was to increase the production of oil from 5,000 barrels a day to at least 10,000, and it looked like it was going to be able to happen. Although Desera was still seeing surpluses in its budgets (at the end of Year Three, it had around E500 million), it was also undertaking small projects that did not cost much. In order to develop the country, it would take a lot more than what they were making now to help facilitate that, and for that to happen, more oil needed to be exported. The Kafra Seaport, looking north. Central Kafra, looking south. Kafra, looking west. Kafra, looking south. Aerial of Kafra, looking south. Aerial of Kafra, looking north. Artistic shot of Kafra. Mosaic of Kafra.

So today, I just wanted to showcase some pictures from around Kafra. Lets call it a glorified teaser! Kafra’s most prestigious neighborhood, Akhdar. By contrast, the slums that surround Mallam Road as it enters Kafra from the south. Masjid Street, around the University of Kafra, is a great place to find Deseran Revivalist architecture. Kafra’s industrial sector is slowly starting to grow, situated around the western end of the town. The Bahr Mosque and the Church of Peace on Masjid Street, across from the Kafra Fish Market, which comes alive in the dying hours of the night.

Thank you, TekindusT (Yes, as Kafra becomes richer, the shanty towns will continue to spread out of the center!), SimCoug, hammysonata, Mastof, and Mithrik! Your comments are very much appreciated! This update will focus on the storyline of the CJ - for those interested, the House of Council building is actually the CSX Palace of Justice BAT Seeds of a Rebellion Anwar Torani had heard enough. Merfil Hamana was at it again, babbling on about how his people were getting the short end of the stick when it came to welfare distribution, all while work was being done day and night in order to complete his new E2 million mansion in Akhdar. The nerve of these people, Torani thought, the sheer audacity. The worst part about it, the most frustrating part, was seeing the Royal President sit back and say nothing. How could he?! Torani never understood it, and he never would. How could Sidebe Mallam, first Royal President of Desera, sit back and listen to this garbage while he knew full well the systematic corruption that was beginning to eat this council alive. If Mallam was going to be quiet, Torani certainly was not. Not anymore. “Enough!” screamed Torani. The entire council, which just seconds before had been an incomprehensible noise of loud voices trying to talk over each other, turned completely silent. “If I had my way, all of you would be thrown into prison for the blatant theft you all have been a part of. Shame on you. All of you!” No sooner had Torani completed that sentence did another member of the council, Kamel Shallam, speak up in an even louder voice. “How DARE you – who in the world do you think you are?” Recognizing the situation was about to about to spiral out of control, the Royal President intervened. “Alright, quiet, both of you. It has been along session, and some of you have long trips ahead of you. We will pick up after…” All of sudden, the Royal President’s voice was drowned out by Torani. “No! This will not continue! It cannot do. I will not be part of this mess any longer!” “You watch how you talk to your leader!” interrupted Prince Diallo Mallam, the Royal President’s eldest son. “I will have thrown into jail for blasphemy and treason, you runt!” He reached for his Desert Eagle, conveniently placed on his waist. Anwar Torani looked around the room, observing his colleagues and the so-called leaders of the nation. Truthfully, he had no respect for almost all of them, and he could not allow himself to be part their game any longer. He had to watch his next move, however – a wrong move and he knew the Prince would be true to his word. The Torani tribe was known as the fiercest warriors in Desera, but he was not in the Borkan Mountains, where they hailed from – he was in Kafra, stronghold of the Mallam tribe and home to the Deseran Armed Forces. He already knew what had to be done - it was just a matter of getting himself and his personal guards out of the city safe and alive. “You are right, my prince. My temper got the best of me, as it has so often in the past. I apologize, my Royal President. Please forgive me.” Never a harsh man, Royal President Sidebe Mallam smiled and replied, “No forgiveness necessary, my old friend. As I said, it has been a long day. We all need our rest.” He looked towards his son with a stern look and said, “Diallo, remove your hand from there at once! I will NOT have such barbaric actions in my council!” The Prince hesitantly complied with his father’s wishes, all while keeping his eyes on Torani. For his part, Anwar Torani breathed a silent sigh of relief, and immediately dismissed himself. He called for his guards to prepare the motorcade, consisting of two SUVs, to pick him up at the front entrance of the House of Council on Mallam Road – the only way out of Kafra. He wanted to waste no time and take no chances by heading towards the SUVs in the parking lot behind the building – he might have been safe in the presence of the Royal President, but there was no telling what would happen afterwards. He knew now that Mallam no longer had control over his council – it was they who controlled him. Without them, his reign as Royal President would be short, and it was only through the other tribal leaders acceptance of him was his he still ruling. He was not a bad man, but he no longer was to be Royal President of the Torani tribe. As Kafra disappeared in the distance, Anwar Torani had made up his mind – the Borkan Mountains was no longer under the rule of Kafra. The House of Council in Kafra. A typical village in the Borkan Mountains.

And I forgot to mention - your review was a fanstastic read. Great details, and great observations! It shows you really took the time to study the CJ, and it is very much appreciated!

All I can say is THANK YOU! What an AMAZING review - truly moved me to see you having enjoyed my CJ that much! I am honoured to have had such high praise bestowed upon Desera and honoured to have been your first review Thank you, again!

Out of all the desert CJs out there, yours definitely captures that Dubai spirit the best

Definitely brings the feeling of India to my screen! You did a great job of realistically portraying it

Holy crap thats a sexy university and the stadium complex - wow! I love the historical look

Cant wait to see the great work you are going to do with farms and rural areas!

Can - Not - Wait!

Again, such a creative update! I love the Mayor's painting - he certainly has talent!

Those nature pics are out of this world! The colours, the life in them - its as if summer has just started

Your region views are very impressive! I like how that river flows through the city Also, your CBD is looking quite nice as well