information consultant

#10: ndala legem

one thing that people take for granted is the standardization of weights, measures and monetary exchange. distances on the road are measured in kilometres or miles, depending on which province you are in and when the road was constructed, goods are sold by the handful, the pile, the spoonful, the amount of petrol burned, pièce, and occasionally by the kilo. if something is bought using an informal measure, it must include a cadeau (gift); a few peanuts, an extra tomato, one more bite of beef, just one street further, i beg. a road that was constructed in the areas and in the times in which british were administrators has mile markers which serve as landmarks. a business-savy league of merchants, cab and bush taxi operators has decided to make the mile 4 sign post outside of limbe an informal market/transit hub. the haggling coefficient (the number by which you divide the stated price to find the true price) varies from region to region, the time of day, the personal finances of the vendor, and the appearance of the buyer, so not only me but someone from another city can pay the wrong price. prices are quoted differently depending on region and your age. in the local dialects of the anglophone regions a price is quoted in pounds "poh"(1pound = 1000cfa, from the conversion rate established in 1962 and long since abandoned) or the necessary number of 5 cfa pieces ("ndala" in lewoh, perhaps from the word dollar and the fact that it just doesn't sound right to say a d without an n in front of it), which don't really exist anymore due to inflation. in the north prices are quoted in the number of 5 cfa pieces, and in cities you say the actual number of cfa. possession of foreign currency is restricted, so black market exchange rates are determined through supply, demand, actual market rate, time of day, etc.

first you feel frustration, then the allure of a wide network clandestine operations, then propinquity amongst those that know the ropes