21 février 2006
Dangers of the road part 2
Roads in Kenya are famous for being dangerous. For a lot of reasons: potholes that oblige you to slalom in order to avoid damaging your car or even worse, getting stuck, carjackers, the total absence of any kind of rule besides the one that says "If the nose of my car is before the one of your car, I'm going first, I don't care, what, "right of way"? No way, I'm first", and matatu drivers.
Matatus are old 14-passengers Nissan minivans and the major type of public transportation in many places of East Africa. If you look into a guide book, you will see that you are NOT supposed to get into one EVER, and if you REALLY HAVE NO CHOICE, avoid the seats by the window because matatus have a tendency to fall over and at least if you're in the middle you'll be protected by your fellow passengers' bodies.
Well, that's somewhat exagerated. Matatus used to be really dangerous before the law that limited the number of passengers to the vans' maximum capacity - which is 14. And matatus are actually pretty convenient, as they go much faster than regular traffic (which can be terrible in Nairobi). How is that possible? Well, it is thanks to their drivers' ingeniosity, imagination, and fearlessness. They have invented the "couloirs de bus" (special bus lanes for the non-Parisians among you) before Delanoe, the mayor of Paris. When traffic is not moving, or simply not moving fast enough, matatus just create a new lane where there is nothing. And everybody lets them go (who would dare not to, really?). They can also use gas stations as short cuts to jump ahead in traffic.
So if you're planning to rent a car and drive in Nairobi the first thing people will tell you is "Beware of these matatu drivers, they're unpredictable".
And if you're not planning to drive, then you should try the matatu experience at least once. Ask somebody to show you were the nearest matatu stop is and to tell you which number to take, as there is no listing or lines map of any kind. When you see a matatu approaching, the guy in charge of collecting the money will come out of the sliding doors while the vehicle is still driving and shout where it's going and how many seats are available. Try to get in if it's going where you want to go. Fight if you need to. You never know when the next one will be coming.
Then find your seat inside and enjoy the ride - and the music. Matatus are moving discos: the radio is blasting hip-hop music and some of them even have dark windows and green neon lights. Read the religious bumper stickers on the walls. They offer an interesting contrast with the pop culture icons painted on the exterior. 50 Cent seems to be a very popular matatu wall paper right now.
When you want to get out, just touch the money-collecting-guy's shoulder and he'll knock on the side of the minivan, a sign for the driver that he needs to find a way to stop soon, even if it's in the middle of the road. Then get out, try not to get run over, and reach the safety of the sidewalk as soon as possible.
20 février 2006
God is everywhere
If there's a place where god isn't dead, it's probably Africa. God is everywhere: in the street preachers' sermons, on the matatus' windshields, on tv, at every street corner in the churches, mosques or Hindu temples, on bumper stickers at the back of the cars, and mandatory on Sunday's schedule.
In Nairobi, which is a very cosmopolitan city, no matter which god you believe in as long as you know "He" is there.
Last time at the driving school, my theory teacher was telling about road signs. He pointed at the "no hooting" sign and I started listing the places where you shouldn't use the horn: near hospitals, police stations, schools... I forgot churches. My teacher corrected me, and then asked me : "Are you a Christian?". "No". "Are you Muslim?". "No". "Are you Hindu?". "No". (He didn't ask me if I was Jewish - not a lot of them here apparently). "But you know god is there, right?". "Uh oh", I said, shaking my head. I kind of felt that "No" was a little too harsh of an answer. My teacher looked at me totally surprised and burst into laughs. "You don't know god is there? You don't? Really??". He was not shocked, nor offended, he was just very amused at what appeared to him to be incredible ignorance and naivete.
Today my landlord came to check on a few things that needed to be fixed in my apartment. As she was sitting down on my couch (how long is she planning to stay exactly?), she noticed the candle on my coffee table. "Oh, that's a nice candle" she said, "you use it when you pray?". "Hum, no, it just smells nice".
I do have to confess something: I have a religious bumper sticker on my car too... It came with it, and I decided to leave it there because it's pretty funny (and I have no idea how to take this thing off). It says "There is only one god. Quit applying for his position". And guess where it was made? In Florida.
