Vă ziceam că cumpărasem nişte nuvele scrise de autori camerunezi. Deci daţi să împărtăşesc cea ce citesc. Sunt doar nişte frânturi, care mi s-au părut mie mai interesante. The white man of God.

When he got to Bamenda, he sent news to the Fon that he was coming. He lived on meat, eggs and potatoes, so the Fon was told to get everything ready. The Fon send a message round the tribe saying that he was going to have a strange visitor, a white man. People should come with chickens, goats and eggs, and women should supply potatoes, for these were the only things the white man ate. […]

A white man! How white was he, people were asking. White like the dry season clouds? White like white cotton? How white? How can be a man white? Had he the curse of God upon him? What did he want? Why did the Fon have to welcome such a guest, with such a select diet? Was it to avert a danger? To appease the Gods?

The Fon sent people to Bamenda to see what the man looked like and to tell him before he arrived. He sent some to Ndop, some Baba and some to Babessi to see the man when he arried at those places, and then run fast ahead and tell him what the man was like. […] The two man sent to Bamenda returned and said that the white man was wonderful to behold, tall, huge, really masculine with a long curved nose like the beak of a kite and a set of large brown teeth behind his bearded face and with eyes like those of a leopard.
  • How white was he?
  • Well, like an albino but much smoother and more handsome looking. His hair was brown cow and as long as the mane of a horse.
  • He must be very tender and weak then.
  • On the contrary he looked very strong and very brave. His eyes were bold and aggressive. He had a way of speaking, through his mouth and nose at the same time.
  • What language did he speak?
  • His language, the white-man language.
Some time later the men from Ndop came and confirmed the story of the first spies about his look and manner of speaking. They said he had stayed the night iin Ndop and would be coming the following day. And they added:
  • But Fon, he is a pig.
  • A pig!
  • Yes your Honor, he is a pig. We tried him several times and found that he was an ordinary man, a pig.
  • From what I hear of him, he is a mysterious man.
  • Yes, your Honor, but as far as we could see him, he is a simple ordinary man, a pig. He has only two eyes. […]
Povestea va continua mâine. Noapte bună draji copchii.