Nigeria, Oct. 14 -- At the peak of letters that pique my interest

are those that are silent. Have you ever taken

a peek at the sea of silent letters one can see

but cannot hear? Have you ever studied the A-Z list?

In Ndebele, people say one should love the peanut plant,

plus all its seeds. You cannot claim to love the groundnut

plant without the nut! Similarly, one cannot praise the meat

in the plate and doom the beef soup or broth in the same bowl.

The Ndebele, Zulu and Xhosa word for potage is umsobho.

When a person says something mind-numbing or offensive,

you can metaphorically reference it as the congealing,

thickening, or solidifying of fat in soup. Ukunquma.

I liken the silencing of letters to a strange solidified stew...