I’d braced myself for the kind of outburst the word Anthrocosmologist had produced – but Mosala simply observed dryly, “Well, I didn’t think it could remain a secret for long. I suppose the whole conference is talking about it.”

“Not exactly. I heard it from a local.”

She nodded, unsurprised. “I’ve been having discussions with the academic syndicates here, for months. So it’s probably all over the island by now.” She flashed a wry smile. “Not much into confidentiality , these anarchists. But what can you expect from patent violators and intellectual property thieves?”

I said, “So what’s the attraction?”

She stood. “Can you stop recording, please?” I complied. “When all the details have been worked out, I’ll make a public statement – but I don’t want some off-the-cuff remark on the subject coming out first.”

“I understand.”

She said, “What’s the attraction of patent violators and intellectual property thieves? That very fact. Stateless is renegade, they flout the biotech licensing laws.” She turned toward the window, and stretched out her arms. “And look at them! They’re not the wealthiest people on the planet – but no one here is starving. No one. That’s not true in Europe, Japan, Australia – let alone in Angola, Malawi … ” She trailed off, and studied me for a moment, as if trying to decide if I really had stopped filming. If she really should trust me at all.

I waited. She continued.

“What’s that got to do with me? My own country’s doing well enough. I’m not exactly in danger of malnutrition, am I?” She closed her eyes and groaned. “This is very hard for me to say. But … like it or not, the Nobel prize has given me a certain kind of power. If I move to Stateless – and state the reasons why – it will make news. It will make an impact, in certain places.”

She hesitated again.

I said, “I can keep my mouth shut.”

Mosala smiled faintly. “I know that. I think.”

“So what kind of impact do you want to make?”

She walked over to the window. I said, “Is this some kind of political gesture – against traditionalists like PACDF?”

She laughed. “No, no, no! Well … maybe it will be that as well, coincidentally. But that’s not the point.” She steeled herself. “I’ve had assurances. From a number of highly placed people. I’ve been promised that if I move to Stateless … not because I matter, but because it will make news , and create a pretext … the South African government will unilaterally drop all sanctions against the island, within six months.”

I had goose bumps. One country might make no difference – except that South Africa was the major trading partner of about thirty other African nations.