Description
Handcrafted Wooden Bolekaja Bus
All hail the Bolekaja, the king of the road. Puffing smoke, spitting fire, hooting loudly along in a wobbly way, a crayfish on a mission with only one headlight and a broken windscreen, this is the Bolekaja. The driver and his conductor have sworn to keep this ride one to remember. Men, women, children and goods are loaded on board an over-flowing contraption. The Bolakaja rules and reigns by its own rules; it stops, picks up and drops off passengers where it wants, anywhere it wishes and whenever it desires. It is the archetype of national transition, the very same which constantly recedes.
The agbero calls passengers to come with a husky and heavy voice, his chewing stick reshaping his lips as spittle drifts and sputter. “Yaba straight, Yaba!” “Yaba straight, Oyingbo no enter oh!” The Bolekaja can never be rushed; it moves slowly and stops anywhere there is a passenger waiting. It leaves behind a long traffic of anxious vehicles and other road users, the Keke Maruwa, a motley of Okada operators, assorted vehicles sourced from every part of the world, and fearful pedestrians. However, the Bolekaja will not be deterred, its path laden with large hopes and a huge appetite for profit. “Hold you change as you enter or I will marry you with the other guy.” Everyone is welcome for as long as they are ready to pay.
Handcrafted toy made in West Africa by local artisans
