This Is Africa - Matatu culture

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Matatu culture - Nairobi

Saturday, 17 November 2007

Matatu - No. 58

Unlike in Western Europe, where bicycles and metros can be seen criss-crossing the cities, only buses and smaller cars are used in Nairobi, and since only a very small percentage of people can afford to buy cars, matatus (buses for the masses) are a booming business.

To us, matatus are not just another mode of transport from point A to point B. They are part of our culture, a symbol of who we are, and one of the few things all Kenyans rich or poor have shared. And without doubt, the matatu is Nairobi’s symbol of hip-hop culture.

Graffiti on the outside, names and images of hip-hop artists and revolutionary leaders, Che Guavara, Malcom X, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, 2pac, nas, Jayz, and so on, and on the inside, tricked out speakers pumping out hip-hop at its loudest.

The word Matatu is derived from the swahili word “tatu”, which means “three”. It was so named in the late 70s or early 80s because it cost three shillings a trip. Actually in sheng (our slang language) this bus is called a mathree or mat.

No. 11

A Matatu is a coming together of several elements, fashion, loud music, sheng language, art and commerce. Every ‘hood has its own matatus, heading for that route.

At the door of the matatu there is usually a young man calling out to attract passengers for that particular route, and also to state the price of travel. This guy is almost always some sort of athlete and acrobat, able to keep running alongside the bus as it moves at 80kph, balancing himself to ride with the bus at the last moment by us by holding on with the tips of his fingers while still dancing! Throughout the journey, this guy rides on the outside, holding on, swinging, dancing.

No. 9

Kibera is number 8, Eastleigh is 9, Kkawangware 46, etc., so the number appears on the front of the matatu to denote its destination, and when you ask anyone where they come from, they don’t have to say Kibera, they just say number nane, for instance (nane is eight in swahili).

No 11 - Lugz

In some clubs and discos, the DJ will sometimes send shoutouts to a certain ghetto by just saying number tisa (nine), for instance, and everyone from Eastleigh will scream. But you do not scream if that’s not your route! That’s disrespect!

A trip from any hood to the city center takes approximately 30 minutes on an ordinary bus, but I think all matatu drivers have made some secret pact to get to their destination in 15 minutes max! Matatu drivers are known for breaking every traffic rules in the book. Over-speeding, overtaking, overloading and sometimes over-charging!, and playing loud music. These drivers will divert from the normal route to barrel down some dingy path that does not appear on any tourist map to avoid wasting time on mad traffic jams and traffic police. In most cases, the matatu lacks one or two requirements: insurance, a functioning accelerator (what would they need this for?), safety belts, and in most cases one of the gears no longer works. Furthermore, the driver probably hasn’t got a driver’s license or uniform, but you can be sure you’ll be sharing the journey with too many passengers. In some crazy incidents, when traffic police are spotted ahead, the “extra” passengers are asked to get out to walk past the police, while the matatu also drives past to wait for these passengers further down the road, out of sight of the police.

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These days, a large matatu carries 30 passengers, each sitting comfortably in their own seat. However, prior to the tightening up of transport rules, such a matatu held twice that number.

Angel, for Ghetto Radio