Black American (Amreekie Aswad) in the Desert Kingdom

PART I - When Adam Sneed signs a contract to work on a construction project in Saudi Arabia, he anticipates a tour that will be exciting and adventurous. Modern Arabia, however, is not like the land he has read about in stories. What he finds is a land very different from reports aired on western television broadcasts. The country has transformed into an industrial society. When Adam's flight lands at Riyadh instead of sand, Bedouin tents, camels and oases, he walks out of the airport into a city of neon lights, office buildings, paved streets and traffic moving at alarming speeds. After a few weeks in the desert kingdom he learns that many of the locals long for the old ways and distrust western influence and machinery. His curiosity about the Saudis is rewarded when Saudi co-workers befriend Adam and start to show him their country and its traditions in ways few westerners have ever seen or experienced. Before long Adam discovers that Saudi Arabia has a large population of people of African descent who were freed from slavery and granted citizenship in 1962. He is even more astonished to learn Blacks number into the millions throughout all lands of the Middle East. As he travels the streets of Riyadh, locals confuse Adam with other Blacks and none view him as American. This causes Adam concern after he hears Arabs commonly refer to Blacks by the term Abidan, a word that in past centuries meant Black slave. Arab coworkers reassure him that in modern times the word Abidan has taken on the meaning Black person. Nevertheless, Adam makes it clear to them that he will only accept being called Amreekie Aswad (Black American). A rebellion that has been planned for some time, gets underway within days of Adam's arrival in the kingdom. Foreigners have no idea of the true nature of the conflict nor that its ultimate goal is to spark a global conflict. Casualties arriving in the capital provide ample evidence that bloody battles are raging, but precious little information is being released to the public by the government. Anxiety increases among the locals and the expatriate communities. During the crisis, Adam moves around Riyadh in an unusually free manner and learns details about the uprising that would be quite alarming if widely known to the foreign community. Over the course of his tour, Adam experiences one incredible adventure after another. His experiences change Adam's view of the Middle East in a profound way; particularly after uncovering facts about the slave trade of past centuries that have been hidden from the rest of the world. If Adam had a crystal ball to rub, he would be quite stunned for a genie to present a vision of his future in the Middle East which, surprisingly, will be longer than he expects and very profitable. Published by Sisyphean Tasks, LLC 5603 Derby Court, #104 Alexandria, VA 22311 For more information, please contact Luther Burch, Jr. Phone: 703-498-7171 info@blackamericanindesert.com