Feats of Strength: Finale

What inspired it all in the first place…

I was riding a bus to Kigali some several months ago when the bus came up on a dump truck which, although moving quickly, was not moving as quickly as the bus.  An occurrence I was glad for as it afforded me my first glimpse of one of the many Rwandan feats of strength to follow; feats that have continually shamed my own physical and mental capabilities of endurance. 

It was raining quite heavily and the usual 80 plus degree temperatures must have been a mere 70 degrees as the bus approached this truck speeding down the road. Through the steam fringed windows I could see three young men on bicycles hanging onto the back bumper, hitching a free ride as the truck roared down one hill, bumped heavily over a bridge, swerved to miss another bike, and then accelerated up the hill on the other side.  I was riveted and only briefly took my eyes from this exploit to see if my fellow passengers were as equally amazed as I was, only to be further amazed to see that they were not. 

It was without a doubt riveting to watch this spectacle of strength as spray continually splattered these young men dressed only in light cotton shorts and t-shirts, drenching them in road slime and grease, exhaust fumes spewing in their faces, and our large bus bearing down on them for the near 10 kilometers we followed them. However, what I remember most from this captivating scene are their hands and their faces.  Each youth with one thin arm stretched out to hang on with four slim fingers to cold metal as their other arm remained in contact with the bike, their faces showing neither stress, fatigue, nor concern.  Rather all three had their heads down, eyes half closed, faces relaxed; all as if in quiet repose as the road churned below them.

Not having a camera that day I was unable to capture this mode of calorie saving ingenuity or foolishness by these young men who make a living by hauling goods on their bicycles.  However, while visiting Burundi recently Dan and I were able to take a few less dramatic shots of some “long haul” bicycle taxis working from the capital city of Bujumbura.  The road out of Bujumbura is as long as it is steep and winding.  It is stunning and it is home to hundreds of these stalwart bicyclists.  Riding the bus up out of Bujumbura we passed truck after slow moving truck belching its way up the mountain, each with at least one bicyclist hitching a ride up.  So too as these bicyclists rode up those who had already endured the free ride up were flying back down laden with goods for the city that only the countryside can provide.  Their clothing rippling in the draft, eyes focused, and their faces impassive.

I am sure someone has made a documentary film about this type of work, and if no one has someone should.  However, whether someone has or has not here are a few shots of what started me thinking about feats of strength in the first place.