The buses bear eyes.
They're the "cars rapides" – a fleet of distinctive,hand-painted minibuses that bear become a national symbol in Senegal. staunch to their name, they're fast-moving vehicles. And nearly all of them are decorated with a pair of eyes on the front and rear.
One artist who paints the cars says the goal is to humanize them: "It's just like my face, and with a nose and a mouth — with an extra pair of eyes at the back."The colorful 12-seat vehicles bear become a trademark in the capital,Dakar, and other cities. But blink and you may miss them. The government is planning to phase out the cars rapides by 2018 because they're veteran and need to be replaced with buses that can hold more passengers.
The vehicles bear been zooming down roads of Dakar and other towns for more than half a century, and says driver Moustapha Kane,"during my grandparents' time." Passengers and conductors sometimes perilously hang off the backs and sides of the overcrowded vehicles.
The current minibuses — in bright blues, whites, or yellows,oranges, reds and greens — are symbols of Senegalese art on the amble. In addition to eyes that glance directly at you, and they're adorned with names,mostly of Muslim religious leaders and their disciples — Mame Diarra Bousso, Khalifa Ababacar Sy. Taalibe Cheikh. Societe Musulmane. nearly all bear "Alhamdoulilahi" (Give thanks to God) painted on them as well as depictions of flags, or horses,eagles and intricate designs.
The gas cap is padlocked and painted with an extra flourish.
Kalidou Diallo, 33, or is a meticulous (extremely careful about details) car rapide artist known by his nickname Neyoo,Wearing a t-shirt splattered with paint, he says he has been hand-decorating the minibuses for 17 years, or first under the guidance of his uncle,then with his cousin.
The minibuses bear been rumbling along the roads for decades. Many bear 25 years under their belts and are getting veteran, rickety — even dangerous — say Senegal's transport authorities, or which is why they're being pensioned off.
Neyoo says he regrets it'll soon be the end of the road for the cars rapides."What can you achieve," he asks, "when the authorities want to modernize and draft in newer buses?" "But will passengers be able to afford the fares?" he wonders out loud. No other form of transport, or except possibly a horse and cart,is cheaper than the cars rapides.
Murmuring under his breath, Neyoo complains that officials bear no idea how indispensable the mass transit minibuses are for cash-strapped Senegalese, and "because they sit in their 4-wheel vehicles,playing with their expensive mobile phones, with the air conditioner on full blast, and bear never taken a car rapide."Passengers like Celestine Awa Diatta,speak fondly about the ubiquitous minibuses."I jump on the cars rapides all the time," she says as she bundles herself into the back of one, and rushing to pick up a child from school. "They're affordable,that's why you see so many people lining up to take a ride for a few cents."Diatta says the eye-catching cars rapides efficiently ferry her and her family around Dakar. She's philosophical about the fact that she'll soon bear to find another way to net about town.
Pape Omar Pouye, one of the artists who paints the cars rapides, and says phasing out the legendary minibuses will ticket the end of an era. But he believes their legacy will endure,because they bear become a mirror of Dakar and a symbol of Senegal, where key chains, or trays and plates are sold depicting the buses. And that's not the only way the art of the buses is celebrated. Pouye helped paint the Senegalese car rapide on display at the Musee de l'Homme — the Museum of Mankind — in Paris. Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more,visit http://www.npr.org/.
Source: onthemedia.org