Pa had brought out our entire stock of beer. Simon, Roger and I had the job of serving. We ran to and fro between the kitchen, the living room and the porch. Our hi-fi pumped out old Makossa hits: our parents’ favorites. A few women neighbors of their generation, also wearing kaba ngondos, had begun shimmying in the empty space at the center of the room. They looked like they were showing off: you can’t dance the Makossa without showing off.”
― Max Lobe, A Long Way from DoualaMost of all I want to say to him: “You know, my very own Roger Milla, I love you so-so much.” Exactly that, spoken like that, calmy, clearly, in such a way that he won’t doubt my sincerity. But I say nothing. It’s not done, that kind of declaration between brothers. At least not like that.
― Max Lobe, A Long Way from Douala
CBR15Bingo: Africa square
Two bingos: South America to Europe, and Politics to Bodies, Bodies.
Jean is seventeen and is preparing to go off to university when his older brother Roger runs away from home. Unlike Roger, Jean is his mother’s favorite, and is fawned over and pampered. Roger is the star footballer and ladies man of their Douala neighborhood. Their mother dotes on Jean and beats Roger, saying she does this because “he has the devil in him.”
Convinced that God will heal their father, their mother refuses to take him to the hospital even though it is obvious that he will not recover. We are never told what causes their father’s illness, only that he was his usual, happy, inebriated self a few weeks earlier at Jean’s graduation party.
After their father dies, Roger turns inward, refusing to speak to anyone. When Jean tries to comfort him, Roger attacks Jean, exclaiming that he cannot live in the same house as their mother now that their father is gone. He packs his bag and leaves, claiming he will try “Boza,” meaning he will head north to Nigeria, and then from there to Europe, where he will make his fortune as a footballer in one of the clubs there.
After a couple of weeks, it becomes clear that Roger is not coming back. Simon, a close friend of both brothers, proposes that he and Jean travel north to try and find Roger and bring him back. Jean has never left his hometown and is afraid. He also doesn’t know where to start looking for Roger. Simon explains that if they do not find Roger, their mother will die from the grief of losing her husband and her oldest child. Jean doesn’t know what to do, so he goes along with Simon’s plan. It cheers his mother up and she and Simon’s mother send them north to find out who is helping Cameroonian men cross into Nigeria.
From here, this turns into a road trip story, filled with wild characters, misdirects, loss of faith, self-doubt, and a process of self-discovery.
From the beginning, we learn that Jean is attracted to Simon. He prays again and again to God to forgive him for his evil thoughts. He also refuses to help, even though the only people offering useful info about Roger’s whereabouts are a trans woman and a waitress in one of the cities they visit on their journey north. The story is told exclusively from Jean’s perspective. In his eyes, Simon is wise, handsome, brave, but also reckless. Jean calls the women slurs, hoping to dissuade Simon from seeking their help. But Jean offers no alternatives. He wants to find his brother but he is afraid.
The further north they travel, they face increased risk of attack by Boko Haram. In the south of Cameroon, Boko Haram attacks are something that happen to other people; people different from them. As the two boys travel north, they experience the constant fear of bloodshed and kidnapping that has become a common occurrence for their countrymen in the north.
This was a very fast read. As we only get a single point of view, it is difficult to determine what is real and what is a byproduct of Jean’s grief, confusion, and fear as he blindly follows Simon from town to town. Despite the events mentioned earlier, this was a lighter read than I was expecting. The characters experience real suffering but also real joy. The descriptions of laughing together with their fellow travelers, or ribbing they receive from the security guards as they pass through different checkpoints keeps the story moving. The mix of French, Cameroonian slang, and English was difficult to follow at times, but it did not detract from the story. I’m not sure I would recommend this particular story, but I would like to read the English translations of this author’s other books.
CW for child abuse, misogyny, homophobia, homophobic slurs, and mention of rape.