Under the Steering Wheel of Misery

Under the Steering Wheel of MiseryDriving to SurviveVictor holds a university degree, yet his knowledge has failed to open the doors he was promised. Born into poverty and confronted with recruitment exams locked by money and connections, he finds himself behind the wheel of an opep-those urban and interurban transport vehicles as essential as they are dangerous, symbols of an informal system without rules or protection.Every day, Victor drives against the clock and against death itself. He must hand over a daily takings to his boss, feed his family, pay for fuel, repair an exhausted vehicle, and above all "negotiate" with the police, for whom the road has become an unofficial toll booth. Between breakdowns, extortion, crushing fatigue, and the constant fear of an accident, his life turns into a chain of calculations where a single mistake can cost human lives.Through a spare, intense, and deeply humane style, this novel immerses the reader in the unseen daily reality of informal drivers. Under the Steering Wheel of Misery is not merely the story of one man, but of a sacrificed generation-trapped between useless degrees, normalized corruption, and the sheer necessity of survival.It is a book about the road, but above all about dignity.About imposed silence and inner revolt.About the courage to endure… and sometimes, the courage to stop.A powerful, clear-eyed, and deeply moving literary testimony that turns an ordinary journey into a mirror of our collective choices. Mbida Mbida Camille est une voix éclectique de la littérature contemporaine camerounaise. Auteur prolifique, il puise son inspiration dans le tumulte des villes africaines et la beauté silencieuse de ses racines. À travers ses romans et chroniques sociales, comme Douala la nuit, Olive le jour ou Les Larmes de la République, il dépeint avec une lucidité saisissante les réalités politiques et humaines de l'Afrique centrale. Mais Mbida Mbida Camille est aussi un poète de l'âme (L'écho de ma terre), capable de transformer la nostalgie et l'identité en vers universels. Écrivain polyvalent, il refuse de se laisser enfermer dans un seul genre, explorant tour à tour le fantastique, la fiction politique et la poésie. Il écrit pour témoigner, pour émouvoir, et pour offrir à ses lecteurs une fenêtre ouverte sur un Cameroun aux mille visages.