I'm sure the suspense has been too much. I wrote in a previous e-mail that I would tell you about matatus here in Nairobi, and then I promptly fell off the face of the earth only to get back to writing recently.
here goes...

I started photographing a mini-story about matatus here in Nairobi. These are vehicles, usually Nissan mini-buses but also can be larger Nairobi-made models, that offer cheap public transport all over the city. But they're so much MORE than that. They're also a cultural art form and represent a sub-culture in Nairobi life. Nearly all of them have names either taken from american hip-hop culture, or just everyday sayings. Most of them are decorated in some way with paint and graphics, similar to graffiti artists' work on subway trains. The designs are borrowed again mostly from hip-hop culture, but there's a wide variety - it could be anything, really. Like, there's a Brazilian national soccer team matatu decorated with Brazilian colors and a likeness of Ronaldo kissing the world cup trophy. so, it runs the gamut.

Not only is there the outside designs either - music is also a big part of riding in a matatu. Most of the people who run them crank up the volume on hip-hop and reggae tunes with impressive sound systems and CD changers. Riders will WAIT for a matatu that's playing music they like. Kenyan artists who want their music to get noticed will solicit matatu conductors to play their songs on some of the most popular routes.

Then there are the people that work on the vehicles themselves. There are two kinds of workers: drivers and conductors (or makangas). Drivers are usually older and are responsible for navigating the matatu through the hazards of Nairobi traffic. Sometimes I honestly don't know how there aren't more accidents! Conditions on the road are so tight sometimes and these guys still drive with abandon!

Then there are the conductors who are generally young guys (under 25). In fact, I've never seen a female makanga. Their job involves hanging from the sliding door on the vehicle while trying to coax riders on and announcing its destination very loudly and very fast. This is probably the most enjoyable part of their job because it invariably involves flirting, cajoling, and simply looking cool. The more mundane tasks include collecting fares and signaling the driver (by banging on the roof or tapping a coin on a window) when a stop is requested. They also open and close the sliding door for passengers and help to squish them and their belongings into the interior of the matatu (matatus are nearly always overloaded). It's a coveted job within the previously mentioned demographic, and if you're good at it you will enjoy a lot of prestige.

Through Jabez we met a conductor named Izzo (pronounced eye-zo) who's definitely one of the best currently working the circuit. He looks and acts the part perfectly. We rode along with him for a few hours during one of his afternoon shifts. Me, Jabez and Nicole were all squeazied into the front seat with the driver while I photographed Izzo in his element. Hanging from the side, running along side the matatu while it's moving and then jumping into the open door, dancing and singing along to the music, running between cars in a traffic jam to say hi to his friends in a matatu up ahead, whistling to potential passengers. Meanwhile Nicole recorded sound as that also is a critical part of the matatu experience - the music is definitely infectious.

I also have been visiting the best designer of matatus in Nairobi. There are only 2 companies who build and design them and this guy Elijah (who I met through Izzo) works for the better of them, a company called 2M. So, if you ask me he has the best job EVER. He's the one who designs what the outside of all the 2M matatus will look like, which involves A LOT of planning and vision and style. He decides on the name, if the owner doesn't have one in mind, and what colors, designs and graphics will go with it. And then, with the help of a few other people, paint and masking tape, he creates it layer by layer, usually changing his mind as he goes along. It's phenomenal! and such a process to watch. I've been hanging out at 2M quite a bit watching the creation of this one particular matatu's reputation. The owner of the vehicle is always there too, so I've been talking to him about the process. He never interferes with Elijah's work, but watches it excitedly and doesn't cringe at the price of the top o' the line materials that are going into and onto this vehicle. Here's what I mean: there's going to be a DVD player and monitor on board! Well, all the latest matatus have them. And Peter, the owner, doesn't worry about all this x-tra cost because he knows that people will scramble to ride his matatu, and the investment will repay itself in a short time.

The matatus follow the official routes of the Kenyan bus system and have the same numbers as the buses so one knows where it's going (usually). Being packed into a matatu offers a strange sense of security - you know the man behind the wheel is maniacle, but being stuffed tightly inside with a bunch of other people somehow FEELS safe. Izzo said that one time he worked on a matatu that was carrying 42 passengers! Granted, most of them were little kids going home from school, but still...42!?

Some areas of Nairobi are more steeped in matatu culture than others, such as the area Buru-Buru, where both of the matatu design companies are located. The routes to these areas have the biggest, brightest, best lit, and booming matatus. They're a joy to ride.

Here are some of the better names - but I see new ones I like everyday in Nairobi:

malcolm x
mack 10
terror squad
exodus
bashment (it means party-like)
fiesta
raptor
rough tone
eastsidaz
da bomb
ghetto chik
wrath
psychodrama
good fellas
blackalicious
bling bling
slim shady
shoe world (we still don't get this one)
cosy
i fear no foe
do the dew
real deal

- Marta

To see additional matatu photos click here

< Back

Click here to contact Marta

Next >