How does the first chapter describe the land of the Umzimkulu valley? How does this reflect on the state of the people who live there?

The first chapter describes the Umzimkulu valley is in bad shape. It is dried out and torn up, and the life seems to be ebbing out of it. The fate of the land is tied to the fate of the people. If the land cannot support the people, the people will not survive, and because the valley is broken, it reflects that the tribes themselves are broken.