What do the Taxis publish at your city? Speak Africa Needs a Taxi
Posted August 7th, 2008 by Emishaw
What does the taxis in your city publish? Seems a strange question? Yes! We may not have so many newspapers but our taxis have their own Publications in Ethiopia Capital, Addis Ababa. For some one who hasn't yet notices it or for someone who hasn't visited Addis yet, let me read you some of the publications I have read in the taxis recently.," You can have thousand wives but you cannot have more than one mother", "Don't open your mouth wide" "Ask your rights on the right place" The posting issues actually range from small sayings from the Bible or Kuaran, to a personal philosophy. It is also common to see pictures of a football player, musicians or a film actor. The taxi postings have attracted my attention on what the driver and his assistant want to tell the public on their publications. These small notes usually posted in the taxis in a deliberate place and rich out the audience in a perfect manner. Considering thousands of blue minibuses which take 12 people at a time and serve several trips a day, there is no doubt they reach out more people than some news papers. It is rear not to find some written words or a picture in any taxi you get. Their are many occasions people start a discussion out of the posted paper in the taxi. The more I have noticed this publication the more I believe these small notes express the heart beat of the city. These postings are sometimes striking and clearly indicate the vibes of the drivers. I like chatting with the drivers and their assistants about it and learn. I was sitting next to a young driver, watching a graceful picture of Haileselasie I, and next to that was a bold statement about asking a right on the right place and asked the driver to clarify me why he has posted it. He soon starts to criticize passengers of over emphasizing their rights as a truism in every thing and said "...the only place the city dwellers want to exercise their right is in a taxi ..." he added. "So I wanted to remind them this is not the only place". His assistant come to the conversation and said when people are upset by something else they want to shout on us. I am aware of the long existing conflicts between the taxis and the passengers usually on tariffs for a certain distance I have kept our conversation and asked him that who wrote those small black papers in most of the taxis and find out that a person called Biruk ( He signs his name in all the postings), sell them to this taxi drivers for a Birr. the driver also shared me "...sometimes we tell him what we wanted get written but sometimes we just buy him from his collection when we feel it explain an idea we share." It is not actually always hard matters this taxis post, in some instances it is possible to see some funny issues and advises to their passengers. Like "Put your bad habit at home", " The day light come and you are complaining as usual" "Yewah Sew Men Yehonal, nothing bad happen to a naive" " Praise God" " Allah Amdlilahi".....and so on. It is not difficult to read a post in a taxi and guess the ideas, perspectives and paradigms, views and world outlook of the driver. I think this is a special privilege or a chance of few people like them. People might like or want to reflect on ideas but where would they post it easy, outreach a big city, and exercise their freedom of expression if they don't have a taxi? Speak Africa may need a Taxi, Which is how I have seen them as publishing their opinions. Let me share you a jock I heard, acknowledging the author about such postings . Once a lorry driver wrote on his car saying "Follow me Saint Gabriel" in the trip, he had an accident so he decided to change it to the protection of another angle , so he wrote " Follow me St Michael" and unfortunately he end up in another accident, he keep changing other angels as a guardian but the accident has continued so he finally wrote and posted "No One Follow me, Please!". I hope to see a taxi Posting will reflect a pan Africanism unity, love and peace.Share us Postings from your corner.Emishaw T.
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