dschang-douala

IMG_0879
Originally uploaded by jlovegren.

-now, say that someone accuses me of an ambush, and they say it happened at ... what time is it now?
-walking to bellua market, bruno can become prolix on the topic of forces that conspire against him and how they are no match for his eternal vigilance; confidence men from mutengene, greedy contractors, jealous in-laws, pineapple thieving teenatgers...
-yes, four twenty. if they accuse me of ambush in scanwater quarter at four o'clock, i know that you will come to my rescue
-alibi
-you can say, 'no, i was walking to bellua market with him at 4.20,' and how can i make it from scanwater to the bellua market road in twenty minutes?? i can never move alone. i must have an a-li-bi
-an alibi who owns a clock
this last point is a big catch. i see one of my students in the market, seated in a pavilion with her brother before a great mound of kola nuts. they are working with spoons, removing the rubbery white casings from the nuts, leaving a shiny pink seed that can be separated into five or so wedges, also with the aid of a spoon. they are edible and have a strong bitterness that you learn to love because it is the taste of stimulant.
-this pa, mbei nkemala', is having my thousand francs. he is a bellua man, so he can never miss bellua market. surely i will find him, then we sit and take our mimbo