That’s one of the reasons Michael is working with me as a paid translator and fixer; two weeks earlier, Nigeria imposed new restrictions on the movement of used cars, all but halting business at the Cotonou car markets (it would pick up again a few months later). He is a tall man with a round, bald head and eyes that squint as if he’s always scrutinizing a deal. He’s well read on current events and vocally opinionated. Obama, he considers a failure; Trump, a “real man.” And secondhand goods, he insists, are better than new. As we walk, he pulls at his shirt. “This is secondhand.” He tugs at
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