Cameroonian Hospitality, Hot Season 2008 Mix

BBC Quote of the Year

 

"A trade union of criminals" – BBC listener describing African leaders

 

Cameroonian Hospitality

 

Much is said about African hospitality, and much of it is true.  For instance, I can walk into anyone's house at just about any time without advance notice without question.  Guests can stop by whenever they want for however long they need.  A distant family member can stay over for however long as is needed.  The line between family and friend is blurred since everyone seems to be frères or sœurs even when they're not in anyway related.  I always have to ask if someone says that so-and-so is really their brother or if they're just someone they went to high school with for a couple years.

 

I took advantage of Cameroonian hospitality to get my couch fixed.  My shitty couch, a wooden frame with leopard print cushions that I did not choose, had broken for the second time.  Well, it was actually broken for months and months but it got to the point of un-sit-ability sometime in March.  The problem had been that the base of the couch was only a layer of centimeter-thick wood, and it was replaced by another thin layer.  After asking the carpenter to fix it, it took six, by my count, trips to remind him or someone working in his shop to do it.  As the fourth week of the couch sitting on my porch waiting for him to fix it continued, I finally said to myself, "Okay, the only way to get him to come is to tell him I'm having visitors coming in two days and it needs to get done," especially because he already had my money because the only carpenter in Lagdo that always has commissions doesn't have 6000 francs to buy a piece of wood.

 

I went to Yotti's boutique, which is next to the carpenter's workshop, to ask Yotti to tell Manou that he needs to fix my goddamn couch because I'm having guests in two days because Yotti and Manou are both frères and Manou would do what Yotti says.  (When in doubt, get a Cameroonian third party, a frère or whoever you need, to do the legwork for you.)  As I was giving Yotti the sad history of my broken couch and was approaching the part for him to tell Manou about my "visitors," Yotti broke in and surprised me.

 

"James, I'll just tell Manou that you have some guests this weekend."

"Um, what?"

"I'll tell Manou when he gets back" – Manou was out at the time – "that he needs to fix your couch because you have people coming."

"Um, perfect."

 

It was uncanny, and three hours later, my couch was fixed.

 

 

Hot Season 2008 Mix

 

1.  "International Players," UGK feat. Outkast

2.  "Paper Planes," M.I.A.

3.  "In This Club," Usher feat. Young Jeezy

4.  "Good Life," Kanye West feat. T-Pain

5.  "Oxford Comma," Vampire Weekend

6.  "Run," Gnarls Barkley

7.  "Shake A Fist," Hot Fist

8.  "Fluorescent Adolescent," Arctic Monkeys

9.  "Rusty Cage," Johnny Cash

10.  "Maxine," John Legend

11.  "Real Love," Regina Spektor

12.  "Kicking the Heart Out," Rogue Wave

13.  "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi," Radiohead

14.  "What You Know," T.I.