I have to write you a story my friend.
It is a diverse, dynamic, complex, topic, I have to confess it is a subject I knew little about before I came to this vast metropolis,"Nairoba"
Matatu culture, Most of us from up country only heard of stories from the Nairobians while in high school. However, Nairobians would tell the story with too much ego such that at the end, there would be no story told at all. They pulled crowds with their lame swag,and there was no way you could resist their stories, their voice, full of sheng, patronising attitude,and there is a special way they pronounced words.
This was like a kamkunji,the top chops and the dunderheads would sit together and listen,by the way most of the Nairobians weren't top chops as such.
I had seen matatus even before I came to the city, at least when I went to school i used to board one. But I am not talking about those matatus, am talking about the matatus in Nairobi, where the real culture was born , and where the revolution is taking place.
Matatu culture has grown and evolved over the years but not much. Some characteristics like breaking traffic rules are very alive, and they don't look like they will die soon.
So I decide to move around town, and find something to write about this topic that I want to know a lot about.
I actually board a Matatu to town, let me not give the details of the journey,a story for another day, I alight at Tom Mboya street, this is where you will find matatus for every route. I feel awkward when
I see matatus for route 9,old and unroadworthy,not what
I had in mind about matatus,route 9 leads you to Eastleigh.
I move on,
I am just about to cross the road, a bus, passes. I just can't help admiring the creative graphics. I can't really make out what it is, but it looks really good and cranky. As it passes, at the back I see a quote, " you have slapped me kidero?"
Most of the time, in the heavy graphics, catchy phrases will stand out, mostly which are the trending and most of the time, they are naughty.
I see another approaching the heavy traffic, like a fuming bull it stops, just almost ramming the sedan in front.
The bus is anxious, it won't stop, the driver is restless, without even looking through the side mirror and peeping out through the window every 5 seconds. The driver overlaps and moves on like nothing has happened.
Traffic rules don't apply in the Matatu culture. I was even amused by airtel's initiative for rewarding the well driven PSVs.
A good initiative, but it's just a handful of PSVs that ever obey traffic lights,if there is any.
I notice that nearly all matatus have scratched(if not crushed)fronts,you can tell why.
Loud music hardly misses in any modern Matatu, in fact if it does misses, very few or none commuters will board the Matatu.
The most common music genres in matatus are riddims and crank music.
I forgot to mention that matatus are mostly used by the young, wild and free! Who have to go to school everyday or to work.
The Matatu sector is a big employer. It pays. Sources say that a Matatu could earn one (the owner) about 15000 shillings a day, the driver can take home about 3000, while the conductor am told, he takes home whatever amount he needs, I mean, he manages the accounts.
The heavy mercury graphics are also very expensive, depending on the design, and the size of the vehicle. The graphics could take 3 to 4 days to be completed.
My sources tell me, cheapest graphics are about 20000 for a14 seater. Actually, Most of the time it's something that can be negotiated, to 20000, it would cost up to about
60000 for a 42 seater bus. So it's a good business.
Matatu culture is art, the graphics explain it all. My definition of art is something that is created to preserve and imitate real life phenomenon, tell me, what comes to your mind when you see a Matatu, full of graphics?
I will tell you what comes to my mind, I see Nairobi, I see genge, a music genre that grew up in Nairobi, and the artists themselves would use these Matatus, in their videos, the most outstanding being juacali.
Mutua Matheka(of wallpaper Monday app), an artist, architecture, photographer, he is many things but that is a story for next week. In a work of art he depicts the real Matatu culture,
Heavily pimped vehicles, colourful,cranky graphics, drivers; they think they own the roads,but in real sense they own the roads,they are rogue,ignorant of any traffic rules,but careful enough not to cause any problem, shouting touts, full of sike, rude enough to call you names, their noise competing with the loud music inside the bus, what is the shouting for? It won't be a culture without all that, it wouldn't be a revolution.
What a piece
ReplyDelete