The news fell like a bomb. Auntie Philomène was alone again. Two years earlier, she had decided to emigrate to Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, which is hundreds of kilometers from Yaoundé, the political capital, to get away from her family.
Auntie Philomène did not have children due to medical reasons. Being childless had resulted in her being mocked and held responsible for all the ills in my maternal family. It was uncle Etoundi who led the charge each time. According to him, Auntie Philomène was the reason why the family remained poor. She was the personification of our ancestors’ curse. He spoke of her only in metaphysical metaphors that all translated to ‘what have we done to the gods to deserve this.’ He ignored her most of the time, as if addressing her directly would add to the ignominy.
On the other side, Auntie Philomène did everything to be accepted by her siblings. She helped finance meals and bought school supplies for uncle Etoundi’s children, for example. She had taken cousins Abena and Mbala, uncle Etoundi’s eldest daughters, under her umbrella. Had it not been for her sisters, who insisted that she stay, she would have left much earlier.
She met Papa Evono two months after her arrival in Douala. Four months later, she came to introduce him to the family in Yaoundé. She finally had the right to happiness, her sisters rejoiced. Papa Evono was okay with the idea of not having children. However, it seemed surprising because in our traditions having a child meant being a “real man.” But everyone wanted to convince themselves that Papa Evono was above the pettiness of some rites.
Nearly two years after this visit, Auntie Ebogo who went to visit Auntie Philomène, came to tell us that Auntie Philomène had been single for several months. Papa Evono had left. As was often the case, the wildest rumors tried to explain his departure. Auntie Philomène had kept their breakup quiet for fear that she would become persona non grata by her family. She was not wrong. Uncle Bisseau, the eldest, decreed that she was not welcome because she risked bringing her curse on everyone.
“Let her stay there,” he said.
The rest of the family remained calm. Paradoxically, uncle Etoundi didn’t say a word. It was unlike him but it only lasted half an hour.
“Bisseau, you are not the only one to decide,” he began. “This house is also her home. If she wants to come back, she is welcome. Ebogo, go back to Douala to get her. Tell her she has family in Yaoundé. Tell her that if she wants to come back, her room is waiting for her.”
He then went out. Uncle Bisseau remained silent. Auntie Philomène had just received support from the person one least expected. Surprised, uncle Bisseau did not dare to protest. The next day, Auntie Ebogo was on her way to Douala.
It was the image of Auntie Philomène walking through the door, her face blank, and uncle Etoundi watching the scene from afar at songo’o, the traditional game that adult men played in my neighborhood, that came back to me a few days ago, while listening to my bros in my barbershop in Harlem, New York, talking about the pardon granted to Hunter Biden by his father, Democratic President Joe Biden, who is still in the White House for a month. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in on January 20.
“Man, I would do the same,” my barber said as the conversation on this cold day of December turned to Democratic President Joe Biden’s final weeks in the White House. “That’s his son. If you don’t do it, who will do it?” he continued, getting animated. The sound of the clippers over my head stopped.
My barber stopped to face his two colleagues who were also cutting the hair of two customers. A child of about 7–8 years old, sitting between the second and third barber stations, was eating. He barely raised his head.
“If that was me, if I got power I am going to do it,” the second barber agreed.
“It’s his son, bro,” added the third barber, looking at me.
It was as if I had crossed a line by asking them what they thought of the presidential pardon issued to Hunter Biden.
“So, you guys believe it was okay for him to pardon his son?” I repeated.
“If that was my son, I would do it, man," my barber replied, pausing after each word, as if to make sure I understood his meaning. "I’m not going to let my son go to jail. I would feel bad.”
He didn’t want things to be lost in translation. That’s when the little boy looked up from his dish, looked at my barber, and immediately dove back into his food.
“I would feel guilty, man. It’s my son," added the third barber. "If I got power to help him, I won’t hesitate a bit.”
On December 1, Biden announced that he was granting a pardon to his son Hunter, 54, who was prosecuted for tax offenses and illegal possession of a firearm. The president, who had promised to let justice play out, went back on his word with this “unconditional” pardon because he said he believed that his son had been unfairly targeted by his political enemies. His decision was made official shortly after President-elect Donald Trump appointed a loyalist, Kash Patel, to lead the FBI. Mr. Patel, known for spreading conspiracy theories and for defending the January 6 rioters, has promised retribution, meaning that he will go after all those the MAGA movement considers enemies, including the media.
The pardon ends two federal cases against Hunter Biden, involving federal tax charges and felony gun charges. It also absolves him of any responsibility for potential crimes he may have committed between January 2014 and December 2024.
The decision has divided liberals, with some commentators going so far as to say that it tarnishes Biden’s legacy. It is quite the opposite for my bros. It has made them the defenders of ol' Joe Biden.
My Black bros welcomed this clemency and saw it as a necessary gesture from a father towards his son. It was an act of paternal love, even a moral obligation according to them. They didn’t understand why this decision was controversial because, for them, any father would have done this for his son.
These are the same bros who felt, several months ago, that they could not vote for the current President when he was still the Democratic nominee because they mainly considered him old and thought that their economic situation had not improved under his presidency. Now, they are the ones supporting him in a decision that will mark his legacy.
Where pundits and political commentators saw a misjudgment with monumental consequences for how history will view the Biden presidency, my Black bros see a humane man. Biden may have lost points in the history books, but he found a place in my bros’ hearts.
“If that was Donald Trump, he would have done the same thing,” said a patron, sitting on the waiting bench.
Everyone burst into laughter. They all looked at each other, seemingly to say that the question would not have even arisen with Trump. It goes without saying, according to them, that it is a known practice for the President-elect to mix private matters and official ones.
“Man, I don’t like [the fact that] a lot of media and liberals blame him so bad for that,” my barber continued. “I’m okay with [the pardon].”
“How can I help other people if I can’t help my own son,” the second barber agreed, shaking his head.
“I have no problem with that, bro. He has the power, He is not abusing it,” said the customer of the second barber. “He is not breaking the law to do it. He can do it because the Constitution gives the President the right to do it.”
“You fight for you son, man," added the second barber. "That’s your blood, man.”
The little boy finished eating. He tried, without success, to get everyone’s attention by making big gestures. The discussion animated all the adults present in the barbershop that day. They automatically put themselves in Biden’s shoes. For my Black bros, Biden’s critics should cease fire.
They believe that since the law was not broken, there is no conversation to be had. While they do not go so as dar to say that Biden should be applauded, they believe that his gesture shows that, deep down, behind politics, people in power are men and women who, like the rest of us, have families. Biden has only, according to them, assumed his responsibilities.
“That’s the way fathers do things, man,” said the third barber. “You man up.”
They nodded in unison over the sound of clippers
Hunter’s pardon allowed Joe Biden to find unlikely allies. It has helped him to erase the last image he had left in my bros’ memories: that of an old man. Now it is the image of a loving father. History may say that the 46th President of the United States went back on his promise. But many will rebuttal, saying Biden's action were done out of unconditional love for this son.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Luc Olinga's work on Medium.