An
interrogation by a 16-year-old
Do people wear jeans in Cameroon?
Yes, they wear jeans of the
highest quality.
But do they have shops and malls
in Cameroon?
Yes, they have big markets and
shopping centres.
But do they have cars to get to
the shops?
Yes, they drive Toyotas and
Mercedes Benzes.
But can they afford petrol to put
in their cars?
Yes, you can’t drive a car with
water, can you?
Oh, so people know how to drive
there?
Yes, they have driving schools
just like here.
Do they have metro police like we
do?
Yes, they have traffic officers
like you do.
Do the police take bribes like
ours?
Yes, some are just as corrupt as
yours.
But do people go to prison there?
Yes, criminals go to prison
everywhere.
But
do they give them pap and meat like they gave Nkateko?
Yes,
they give them pap and meat and fish and chicken.
You see, that’s why people won’t
stop crime!
Oh yes, crime will never
stop!
Naomi Nkealah is a senior
lecturer in the Department of Languages at the University of Limpopo (Turfloop
Campus). She holds a PhD in African Literature from the University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and has published widely on various subjects,
including gender, xenophobia, and human rights. Her articles have appeared in
South African journals such as the English Academy Review and Tydskrif
vir Letterkunde (Journal of Literature). She has also contributed chapters
to various books published internationally. Besides her academic work, she
writes short stories and poems which have been published in literary journals
such as New Contrast, Carapace and A Hudson View, as well
as in various anthologies.
