The Zilatran Culture Strikes

During the late-night hours of the 13th of December, the citizens of Zilatra gathered into an uproar over developments occurring behind closed doors. Ovonia Ronango'O, an acclaimed national figure and cultural icon, had called a strike of our nation's world builders in protest against the actions of the Zilatran and Sentaran governments. Negotiations had taken place for the formation of a federation between the two nations, but surprisingly enough the most difficult part of the talks was over the name and flag. Both sides' government members had agreed to a confederation charter outlining the new organisation, and all was harmonious until the discussions reached cultural identification. Multiple names and flag ideas had been proposed, but none had earned a consensus.

At a certain point a quick meeting had been called to settle the matter once and for all, but many negotiators had been left out of a meeting whose purpose turned out to be finalising such a contentious matter. The conclusion of the meeting was choosing the name "Umatran Union", which irked Ovonia in particular. To her, the name was entirely Sentaran and left out Zilatra's culture and linguistics entirely. When she tried to fight the issue, she ended claiming that the Santarans shut her down, and one individual in particular called for her removal.

In response, she took to the streets, calling any citizens available to join her in the city square of Hafumel. About a dozen people joined her and all cultural work stood at a halt. A number of cities, including Transaria and Hafumel, would officially participate in the strike, with others such as Marjuba considering joining.

However, by the end of the next morning, the fervour of the strike had died down, and in the end negotiations began again. The supposedly final decision of the name was scratched, and talks began again. Even now, the name and flag remain undecided, and are the sole matters preventing external unification of Abexilas' prettiest sisters. However, the biggest consequence of the strike was opening up the process to the greater citizenry of both Zilatra and Sentara, making such an important matter a decision made by everyone.