For several months now so called "Banana Cults" have been increasing in Marlingtos, the large island off the Gadurian mainland. These gangs are boycotting the island's largest export, banana's. For years the Ananab Corporation has owned 98% of the island's bananas and has exploited the islands natural resources and farmers. The farmers are paid extremely little and the corporation does nothing to compensate the community, which is now gripped by poverty and famine. The "Banana Cults" have begun seizing shipments of banana's heading to the coast and redistributing them around the island, as well as dropping them out of planes onto Ananab buildings around Gaduridos and throwing them at politicians who support the Ananab monopoly on bananas.
Jonathan Pembrook, the Chairman of the Corporation (above) refused to comment on the situation when the FGP contacted him, however his office released a short statement:
The Ananab Corporation cares deeply about it's farmers and always does everything in it's power to protect them. We believe these "Banana Cultists" are completely unjust and should be stopped. We are willing to donate 2% of our bananas from Marlingtos to the island inhabitants in exchange for the end of the violent "Banana Cults." Mr Pembrook abhors violence and believes that the Ananab corporation should not be associated with it.
The Nasyonal espirityalite Asanble a prominent political party within Gaduridos annoucned it's support for the Banana Cults and will hold several banana themed rallies across Gaduridos over the next two weeks. The other political parties are yet to comment.
The Marlingtos banana trade is an extremly profitable market for Gaduridos
The banana trade in Marlingtos pays well for the rest of Gadurdios which has all recieved much corporate investment as a result of the banana, tobacco and sugar trades primarly focused around Marlingtos, however the island itself has been left behind and is the poorest region in Gaduridos. The native population are clearly getting fed up and "Banana Cults" may only be the beginning of the social unrest on Marlingtos.