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May 31, 2008

Motorbike accidents in the Sahel

Another motorbike accident in Djibo today. This time it was Pastor Nikiema - hitting a hole at speed, on the way back from Weendupooli. He smashed his face quite badly but it'll mend. There seem to be a lot of motorbike accidents around town at the moment, and a lot of fatalities - more so than any year I can remember.

The gold rush just north of here is partly to blame (not in Pastor Nikiema's case, but in others). Young men at the mines measure in motorbikes how much gold they find - casually saying things like 'Isa Yero brought two motorbikes out of the well yesterday'* - that's how automatic is the assumption that motorbikes is what a lucky miner will buy. New money buys Yamahas and Kaiser 140s, end of story.

But neither youth nor new money are guarantees of being able to ride a motorbike safely. These guys fly through the wasteland between Broo and Djibo like desert djinns late for a haunting, and frequently total their bikes in sand.

For older men who acquire new motorbikes, the problem is not the same as for the boy racers. No - their problem is their turbans. This year two men I know of were strangled by their turbans when the loose end went in the wheel. I kid you not. And all because the stylish look for a West African turban is to have a loose end hanging down to your waist or beyond. As Charlie commented, those men are the ultimate fashion victims.

I ride my Yamaha DT every day, for errands and visits (and sometimes, I confess, just for the fun of it). But these days I always try to remember the three rules of Sahel riding: Watch your speed, watch the sand, and keep your turban short.

(*The Fulfulde for this even more baffling when the euphemism 'horse' is used. 'Isa Yero brought two horses out of the well yesterday.' Wow. Now there's a heavy bucket.)

Posted by sahelsteve at May 31, 2008 09:21 PM