In a city choked with
plush and elegant cars, state of the art and multi-purpose high- rise buildings
born out of modern architectural designs, people of all descents and religions,
comfortable and inviting shopping centers, one cannot but admire the beauty and
splendor of Accra. One sight to behold as a characteristic of all major modern African
cities is the bumper to bumper traffic that is as a result of lack of proper
planning and perhaps acute foresight of the authorities.
A critical look at the types of cars plying
the roads everyday both in and outside Accra reveals that despite the glamorous
ones that keep glistering in the sunlight, there are actually other ones that
defy the status quo. Most of the buses serving as means of public
transportation, otherwise known as “trotro” can be estimated to be above twenty
years since the first time of use simply because they are unique and fall out
of the definition of modern cars!
Analysis of these buses
brings out the fact that one has to be extra careful when boarding or alighting
from them. An oversight could cause one to sustain injuries caused by exposed
metals forming the chassis of these buses. Before boarding them, especially in
the morning, a critical look should be taken at the seats to check whether they
have been dusted. Else, a day started with clean and neatly ironed clothes
could be turned into a premature evening of dirt-patched clothes that same
morning.
A close look at the
dashboard of a trotro brings to view dysfunctional meters, a clock beaten by
age and an empty car radio slot in most cases. Wires connected without paying
any attention to cable colour codes can be seen hanging freely under the
dashboard, posing threats to the drivers who seem oblivious to them.
The bare metal gear lever
used is a testimony of the ingenuity of the “Suame Magazine Engineers”, who
stop at nothing in their quest to find alternatives in all situations. In the
event of a driver’s ignition key getting lost, he is not so much disturbed
because a pair of wires could simply do the ignition job!
Tinted plastic windows
are preferred most of the times and the closing and opening of these demands a
good amount of energy to carry out. Custom made seats of various dimensions
serve as comfort providers with little space for passengers to stretch their
legs and move their arms!
The entry point to most
of these cars, aside the front seat passenger’s side, gives one a fair idea
about the state of olden day cars. A typical example is to get into the bus
through its back. Once inside, the seats are arranged in two long rows in a
face-to-face fashion. The “modern” types have the seats arranged in the normal
order.
Some of the interesting
inscriptions that can be found on some of these buses are:
“ME NTWERE HWEE (I WILL
WRITE NOTHING)”
“Travel and Sea”
“TO GOD BE THE GROLY”
“POOR NO FRIEND”
“POLICE AND DRIVERS ARE
NOT ENEMIES”
“OWUO MPO SURO”
“AMEGBETOR!”
“Wo ano pe asem”
“Koomi na gaa Allah”
“MANY ARE CALLED, BUT I AM CHOSEN”
“NO WOMAN, NO CRY”
“ALL DIE BE DIE”
“SLOW BUT SURE”
“Ghana Hard, Still Ghana
Hard” …..to list but a few.
Despite the discomfort,
the trotro driver and his assistant (preferably called “mate”) manage to get
one safely to his destination for a moderate fare.
A question worth asking
now is whether the general state of trotros is a case of antique preservation
or an intentional provision of “value for money”?
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| just watch |
Watch out for PART II
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