Thula is a perceptive and deeply serious ten-year-old girl. She takes on heavy adult responsibilities early in life following her father's disappearance in the capital city. Unlike her peers who play at being mothers, she rejects the strict gender roles expected of women in Kosawa. She views the world with a critical eye, questioning the motives of both the government and the American oil company poisoning her village.

Yaya is the empathetic matriarch of the Nangi family and widow of Big Papa. She has lived long enough to watch multiple waves of foreign extraction harm her people. She carries immense grief over the loss of her loved ones but tries to push her descendants toward finding personal joy rather than simply fighting unwinnable battles.

Bongo is Malabo's younger brother and the acting head of the Nangi household. He takes on a leadership role in Kosawa after Woja Beki's authority collapses. He speaks English and reads political theory, making him uniquely equipped to interrogate the Pexton hostages and seek outside help. He constantly measures his actions against what his older brother would have done.

Sahel is Thula and Juba's mother, forced into the role of a caretaker widow after her husband Malabo disappears. She resents the strict cultural traditions that forbid widows from remarrying or seeking intimacy. She is a practical protector who listens to her children's needs, even when those needs contradict village norms.

This collective group represents Thula's peers and classmates in Kosawa. They share a profound anxiety about dying from the contaminated water. They observe the adults' actions closely, shifting from naive hopefulness about American intervention to a hardened view of justice.

The Leader is an obstinate Pexton representative. He dismisses Kosawa's cultural beliefs as nonsense and refuses to show empathy for the dying children. When taken hostage by Konga, he acts with stubborn pride, refusing to eat or cooperate with his captors.

Juba is Thula's younger brother. His early brush with death deeply traumatizes him, giving him a surrealist view of the world. He processes his grief through drawing and questions the value of endless political struggle, desiring personal safety and comfort over dangerous revolutionary ideals.

His Excellency is the unnamed dictator ruling the country. He accepts massive loans from foreign entities and allows extraction companies like Pexton to operate with impunity. He is a merciless and deeply corrupt ruler who suppresses any internal dissent to protect his wealth.

Woja Beki is the village head of Kosawa. He is widely detested because he accepts money from Pexton to ensure the village remains compliant. He prioritizes his own social standing and safety over the well-being of his people, lying to government soldiers only when threatened by the local fathers.

Konga is a village outcast who lives in isolation because the community believes an evil spirit possesses him. Despite this superstition, the mothers of the village leave food for him. He initiates the rebellion by taking the Pexton men hostage, seeing through the company's lies with a clarity that the other villagers initially lack.

Malabo is Thula's missing father and Sahel's husband. Before his disappearance, he acted as a father figure to his younger brother Bongo. He believed that government officials would help Kosawa if they simply understood the truth about the dying children. His absence leaves a profound void in his family.

Real name Kumbum, The Sick One is a frail Pexton representative. Once held captive, his health rapidly deteriorates. He becomes desperate to survive and begs for his life, offering the villagers a crucial piece of information: his nephew in the capital city might be able to help them.

The Round One is the third Pexton representative taken hostage by Konga. He operates as a loyal employee of the extraction company, trapped alongside his superiors in a conflict he cannot control.

Austin is an American journalist living in the capital city and the nephew of The Sick One. Because of his American citizenship and press credentials, the villagers view him as a powerful ally who can expose Pexton's crimes to the outside world. He agrees to visit Kosawa to document the crisis.

Big Papa is Thula's late grandfather and Yaya's husband. He survived a traumatic childhood that left him with lifelong anger and depression. Because of his trauma, he recognized the exploitative nature of Pexton long before the rest of the village, earning a reputation as a killjoy for refusing to believe the company's promises of wealth.

Jakani is one half of a set of revered twins in Kosawa. Born with his right eye shut, he hears voices and communicates with the Spirit. The village relies on his mystical abilities for protection, believing he imbues the local men with fearlessness before conflict.

Sakani is the twin brother of Jakani. Born with his left eye shut, he possesses the ability to heal physical wounds. Like his brother, he holds a deeply respected and feared position in Kosawa, operating strictly according to traditional spiritual laws rather than outside pressure.

Mr. Fish is an American overseer who presents a friendly and engaged exterior to the people of Kosawa. Despite his polite demeanor, he is there to enforce Pexton's resource extraction, proving that kind words do not change the company's exploitative mission.

The Cute One is an amicable aid worker representing a foreign NGO. He promotes education as the solution to Kosawa's problems but fails to grasp the depth of the village's immediate physical dangers. He unknowingly becomes the object of Sahel's suppressed romantic desires.

The Sweet One is an NGO representative working for the Restoration Movement. Like her colleague, she attempts to help Kosawa by encouraging children to attend school, representing the often disconnected nature of foreign aid organizations.

Lusaka is a grieving father who has lost two children to Pexton's contamination. He devises the plan to feed and house the captured Pexton officials, hoping to use them as leverage to force the oil company out of Kosawa.

Wanja is Lusaka's daughter. Her youth and beauty serve as a tragic reminder to the men of the village of the constant threat of death hanging over the next generation.

Teacher Penda is the government-sponsored educator in Kosawa. He teaches the children English but also pushes state propaganda, telling them how smart and benevolent the government officials are—a lie the children easily see through.

Bissau is Malabo's best friend. When the children of Kosawa first began falling ill, he took the initiative to get the village's water tested by the government, confirming the source of the deadly disease.