Work gang update

The work gang is the local farmers who gather to help on local projects. The system is that the village elders decide when community work needs to be done and they instruct the men of the village to turn up on a certain day at a certain place. If a man chooses to go to his farm instead, he is fined a sum of money. In effect this becomes a local tax which can be paid by labour or by cash.

This week however, the elders have in effect announced a tax holiday by decreeing no work needs to be done this week – the reason being, I think, that the Easter week means that the farmers will want to spend the time at their individual farms.

The idea of us being here is to facilitate local improvements, not carry them out, so, as tempting as it is for us to just start digging, we will await the work gang.