Publisher's Synopsis
Imagine a dystopian world similar to 1984 but in a South African context. With the countrys economy nearly in ruins, the South African government is forced to govern with a computer programme that works on artificial intelligence. Even the judicial system has been automated. Everything is dependent on your SOMSS (System of Moral and Social Suitability) score. It determines where you can live, what meals you can order from People Eats and how often you may use the central transport system, People Move. Responsible Citizenship Learning, a SOMMS module, teaches you the countrys history and what it takes to be a good citizen. Alleen onder die maan tells the story of Jaco, an 80-something individualist who is highly critical of this new totalitarian world, and his son, Pieter, who tests computer games for a living and doesnt realise how the system encroaches on personal freedom. There are two storylines: Jacos hauntingly beautiful reminiscences of growing up on a Free State farm. The second storyline follows father and son on a last visit to the Kroonstad farm in the current era, where all farms have been confiscated and turned into mega farms where robots and automated farm vehicles do all the farming. Jaco describes how his brothers tried to recreate the moon landing in 1969 on the farm. He believes the technological developments that followed the moon landing are what brought on this new world. Pieter is critical of his fathers generation because they never stood up to the apartheid regime. The irony is that he doesnt realise he is living in an equally totalitarian world. This moving book delves into themes like loss and nostalgia, the importance of independent thought and the dangers of mass media.
