214 african appropriations
of confidence tricks based on face-to-face communication and persuasive
strategies that, though less mediatized, are rooted in similar techniques
of make-believe.
THE MAGIC OF FRAUDThe Master (2005), a Nigerian video film about the rise and fall of a
scammer, illustrates this continuum of confidence tricks. At the begin-
ning, Denis, the would-be scammer, is fleeced by a compatriot. He is lured
into a shared taxi where he overhears, supposedly by chance, a conversa-
tion between a seller and an agent—the fraudster and an accomplice—
concer n i ng t he sa le of used clot h i ng. The sca m mer pretend s to be a vendor
from Ivory Coast who speaks very little English and appears to have no
clear idea how much the goods are worth in Nigeria. With this masquer-
ade, which builds on the traditional prejudices of Nigerians vis-à-vis the
inhabitants of this smaller West African country, he lulls the victim into a
false sense of security and bolsters his feelings of superiority. Back home,
and after parting with his money, Denis discovers he has been fooled.
The sacks he bought are actually full of sand that has been hidden with a
cover i ng of rags (for ea rl ier versions of t h is t r ick , see a lso Adoga me 2 009).
The strategy is the same as the one used by the authors of the 419 emails
when they assume the role of the naive African.
Another traditional confidence trick is the so-called “wash-wash,”
which is a special form of “money laundering.” Famous in Nigeria and
Cameroon, this trick involves a trunkful of “ black money” (black paper
cut into the size of dollar notes), which is said to have been defaced for
security reasons but may be “washed” using a certain liquid the scammer
offers his mark. As proof of his claim, the fraudster washes a number of
these notes in the victim’s presence (Igwe 2007: 41–43). The scammer
offers to help the victim purchase the alleged chemical that is so expen-
sive the scammer, who pretends to be low on funds, cannot afford to buy
himself. The main point of the trick is the conscious use of the deceptive
power of visual evidence—the transformation of a few pieces of black
paper into real dollar notes right before the mark ’s eyes.^6 Under certain cir-
cumstances, even transnational 419 scams initiated by email may develop