That's life

Humour: One day, when God was distributing wealth, Michael Matatu stood patiently in the queue but the Almighty forgot to give him any. He was born a down and out African, condemned to a life of poverty, in a mad, mad world where only the rich and the influential have the money to enjoy life. He dreams of luxuries that he cannot afford. He lives from day to day using ingenious methods to eke out a living. This is the story of an ordinary African fighting for survival in a society where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. Matatu regales you with his humorous look at life and ways of earning a livelihood. As you laugh reading about his antics, you come across a tale of social injustice and inequality. This book is a collection of columns written over 20 years by journalist SHAMLAL PURI, a former East African resident, now based in London, under the pen names of Michael Matatu, Malimoto and Akili Mingi appearing in Drum, Africa’s leading black affairs magazine and its sister publications, True Love and Trust.