BUWEMBO: Tell me, how do I behave before important people I silently pity?

I don’t know how the weak should react when the mighty are soiled and looking pitifully unwise. ILLUSTRATION | JOHN NYAGA

In a Nigerian movie whose title I never caught, the richest man of the town who was envied by everyone always wore a cap that he never removed.

After one poor man pestered him to reveal the secret of his wealth, the rich man took him to his palace and lifted the cap. And behold, where the hair should have been was all rotten and full of maggots. At that point I switched off the TV and tried to push the nauseating image out my mind.