Death follows the love that dares to txt a name

Love in the digital age means you can whisper sweet nothings via text, tweet, Facebook, email, or any of the dozen digital methods of communication colonised by teenagers.

What a delight to have all those different ways of sending and receiving ‘I love you’— it makes teenagers of us all.

Spare a thought then for Roger Mbede, who texted: “I’m very much in love w/u.” The text resulted in his death. He died in Cameroon last month, aged 34, ostracised from his family, his community, the medical and legal system, everything. His death happened three years after he sent the text expressing his love for another human being. Another man.