Nelson Mandela – 100 years

Today is Nelson Mandela’s centenary commemoration.

If he was alive today, it would be a very Happy 100th Birthday.

Nelson (Madiba) Rolihlahla Mandela was born July 18th 1918 and died aged 95, five years ago on December 5th 2013.

Internationally, Nelson Mandela was well-respected and admired for his courage, honesty and integrity.

He was a family man, a lawyer, a politician – and most memorably (and as best expressed in the immortal words of Rage Against the Machine), he was a ‘Renegade of Funk‘, whose philosophy and action unequivocally changed the course of history.

Equality, human rights, education and freedom were key fundamental principles that underpinned Mandela’s work.

Mandela was an incredibly eloquent man – and has left us with a bounty of inspirational and humbling quotes like:

“The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”

Freedom Ride

The Freedom Ride was a social everyone-is-welcome 35kms bike ride that celebrates the spirit and legacy of Nelson Mandela – as well as to raise awareness about cycle safety, and bicycles as a form of transport and recreation.

The first Freedom Ride was held in 2013 and from what I can see online, it had a good turn out for a few years. The original route linked together the communities of Johannesburg and Soweto, which were historically divided by apartheid.

So I went online to see what was happening for this year.

There are many Freedom Rides online, but they are for other issues, like human trafficking, homelessness and abandoned animals. Some are on bikes, some are on motorbikes, but none were ones I was looking for.

It seems that there were no commemorative 2018 Freedom Rides in South Africa. However, I did find some other Mandela inspired bike events like The Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash (KwaZulu-Natal, RSA) and the Cycling South Africa’s Cycle Jozi Week, which included Freedom ride in their program. But these were all from 2016 – I couldn’t find any event listing for 2018.

I wondered if this had anything to do with the unfortunate 2014 official event t-shirt fiasco.

In 2014, the event T-shirt had one of Mandela’s famous quotes on the back. However, 5,000 of the official T-shirts had a serious misprint/typo: the word “freedom” it was instead “freedoom’.

Oh dear.

This meant 5,000 of the T-shirts (see below) read:

“The purpose of freedoom is to create it for others.”

I am pretty sure that oxymoron is NOT what Mandela meant.

But I doubt a typo is why there is no 2018 Freedom Ride.

Freedom Ride aside, today is the day to celebrate Nelson Mandela.

I am going on my own Commemorative Mandela Freedom Bike Ride!

For my ride, I will be pausing and reflecting on the legacy, courage and change that Mandela stood for and achieved.

I will be thinking about Mandela’s principles, hopes and actions and how I can use them to create more positive change in the world – one ride, one day, and/or one action at a time.

I see it as our global challenge to continue what Mandela started.

Happy 100th Madiba!

25/05/201814/06/2018

Mountain biking – Kampala, Uganda

To give balance to the last post (which was about the challenges facing cyclists in Kampala), this post focuses on some of the more positive aspects fo cycling in Kampala: its burgeoning local MTB scene.

This is a great story to share for a number of reasons.

It shows the increasing popularity of cycling in general, as well as the diversity in riding styles and codes.

It also serves to remind us that ‘Africa’ is not one single homogenous entity; that each region, country and city in Africa has its own unique culture, interests, practices and lifestyle differences, while also showing how multidimensional cycling is in Kampala.

Unsurprisingly, juxtaposed with some seriously dangerous areas for cyclists in Kampala, there are also equally amazing places to ride.

And finally, it is awesome to see strong support for more female riders.

Mountain biking is not usually the first thing most western people would associate with Kampala.

Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly popular in the area, mainly due to the efforts of (the seemingly inexhaustible) Kampala Cycling Club.

Kampala Cycling Club

I really like the Kampala Cycling Club’s approach.

The KCC claim that bike messagers are “the fastest couriers in Africa” and offer a full day Kampala Experience for tourists.

As a club, they are proactive, inclusive and forward-thinking.

For example, here is their training schedule:

I really like their rules for joining the club (take heed other clubs!).

Kampala Cycling Club

The Kampala Cycling Club has been involved in a range of events have that have significantly raised the profile and participation of cycling.

Two such events are…

1. Tour de Feminine

This year, from 24-26^th January, was the first ever “Tour de Feminine”.
This tour was formatted so that females could participate in either a competitive and recreation capacity.

To date, there is not much information about this event. I could only find a few registration details and a few photos on the Kampala Cycling Club Facebook page (see below).

Despite being a small ride (well it is the first time!), I was still keen to find out more and see what the event format, experience and outcomes were.

So I contacted the organisers – and hope to get more details soon.

I will keep you posted!

2. Red Dirt MTB Festival

The Red Dirt Mountainbike Festival was held on May 4th, 5th and 6th 2018.

The event FB page states “Uganda has so much to offer for the off-road cyclists. There are a zillion unexplored virgin singletracks in unique locations surrounded by beautiful nature and wildlife. We think it’s the best-kept secret and the closest thing to heaven for the outdoor athlete.

This awesome weekend will be stuffed with bicycle-related activities and other outdoor events for both young and old, fit or unfit, beginner or expert, national or international. Activities that will be organized are: nightrides, mountain bike clinics, mechanical workshops, family rides, BBQ, quiz night, movies, bonfires.

However, our biggest event will be organized on Sunday and will be an official MTB race in collaboration with Uganda Cycling Association.

This all will take place just a 15-minute boat ride away from busy Kampala, right in the middle of nature where the air is till fresh and the grass still green.”

The Red Dirt Facebook page has more details and info.

Prize money was awarded to both women’s and men’s podiums:

1st – 300.000 SHX
2nd – 150.000 SHX
3rd – 50.000 SHX

It looked like they had a great turn out – and a great time!!

Yesterday a highlight recap video was released (see below).

I love that MTB and cycling are so universal.

Congratulations to all the organisers, supporters, riders and locals who made these (and many others we have yet to hear about) happen.

It makes me very happy to know that these kind of events are happening and that they are increasing in popularity and participation.

Great work all!

Images from Kampala Cycling Club Facebook Page, Red Dirt Mountainbike Festival and Shotz By My.

21/05/201814/06/2018

Kampala’s proposed cycling lanes: Potholes, sewage and traffic hostility

This guest post is from Maeve Shearlaw, a multimedia journalist who writes for The Guardian. This post highlights the ambitious, yet challenging plans Uganda has to improve roads in the capital city, Kampala, for cyclists. A big thanks to Maeve for sharing her unique insights and experience! NG.

A typical scene from Kampala’s busy streets Photograph: Ronald Kabuubi/AP

Special cycle lanes have been promised and initiatives are trying to get people on two wheels, but enthusiasts admit Uganda’s capital has a long way to go.

Initiate a conversation about cycling in Kampala and it will probably go one of two ways. People either assume you’re talking about boda bodas, the motorbike taxis that snake dangerously through the city’s arteries. Or, understanding you mean a pushbike, they’ll laugh dismissively at the possibility of tackling Uganda’s capital on two wheels.

But according to city authorities, Kampala will soon be welcoming its own bike lane network in the central business district.

Walking and cycling account for 60% of the city’s journeys but the roads don’t accommodate them well. Commuters must contend with potholed-tarmac, open manhole covers, running sewage and dirt roads turning to mud baths when it rains.

Kampala's proposed cycling lanes: Potholes, sewage and traffic hostility. Bicycles Create Change.com 21 May, 2018. — Source: Lambanana

Uganda’s roads are some of the most dangerous in the world: the safety of pedestrians and cyclists is a real concern, and in 2012 the government passed a law to better protect them.

Driving isn’t much fun either. Know as “the jam”, severe traffic is a daily headache for road users. Taxi driver Daniel Thembo says the city can be congested for hours every morning and evening, while “sometimes on Mondays and Fridays it lasts all day”.

http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/9858.html — Source: Keyword Suggest.com

Amanda Ngabirano, a lecturer in urban planning at Makerere University, puts this down to bad organisation rather than too many cars on the road. “We don’t have many traffic lights,” she says “so we all find ourselves at the same junction at the same time.”

Ngabirano is working with the Kampala Capital City Authority Association (KCCA) on plans for a downtown car-free zone for bicycles, which will start with a pilot on Namiermbe Road, a congested area almost impossible to navigate by car.

They’ve deliberately picked the most “hostile” and “complicated” part of the city to start with: “where the people are, and where there is demand,” she explains. “Once we succeed there we will able to change other places very quickly.” Construction is due to begin in December.

Ngabirano wants Kampala to mirror the other pioneering cycle cities of the world like Bogota in Colombia, which runs car free Sundays, and The Hague in The Netherlands, which started to experiment with specialised bike lanes in the 1980s. “People think the differences [to Kampala] are huge, incomparable, but there are some basic principles that influence the way people move the world over – we are just human,” she says.

Tyres over limbs

But planning is only part of the battle. For Ngabirano “the key intervention is to successfully convince politicians about what cycling could do for Uganda and Ugandans.”

At the moment, most people who use their bikes on the roads are those living in poverty. “When it’s not safe it’s for the person who has no other choice, and the person who has no other choice is poor, you cannot deny that relationship,” says Ngabirano.

“It does not make sense that we prioritise cars with four tyres, but we ignore normal human beings whose legs don’t have spare parts,” she adds, before mentioning climate change, another harbinger of change for the continent: “In Africa we need to get it straight: people first, cars second.”

Ngabirano’s love for cycling led her to be profiled as “babe of the week” by Uganda’s national newspaper, The Observer, which even led with the words “back in the day, it was an eyesore for a woman in Kampala to ride a bicycle”.

She wasn’t offended, she says. As one of the few women regularly cycling in the city she feels it’s a good thing that people take notice.

Yet she does recognise the need to for a special effort to get more women involved, who she says would benefit from the freedom bicycles can offer: “If the family has one car, it is for the man in the house. This makes the woman so dependent,” she explains.

Ngabirano isn’t the only one trying to encourage more cycling in the city: from car-free days, a free bike-sharing scheme at Makerere University for students to ride around campus, to the annual Tour De Kampala, the city is making meaningful strides to encouraging cyclists to take to its roads.

This piece is part of a longer article originally published by Maeve Shearlaw for the Guardian African Network.

09/04/201816/04/2018

DR Congo: Chukudu bikes

Chukudus are very unique Congolese wooden bikes.

They resemble an elongated kick bike.

In Goma city (eastern Democratic Republic of Congo), Chukudus cost around $100 to make. These bikes are made out of scavenged motorbike and other recycled parts, with the bulk being hand-crafted out of wood.

Increasingly, young men in Goma are using chukudus as a way to earn money.

DR Congo: Chukudu bikes

Although these bikes provide income generation opportunities, they are also incredibly dangerous. Roads in DR Congo have hazardous conditions and are precarious as driving is unregulated and there is a lack of driver etiquette for other road users, which means increased road traffic accidents and deaths.

This is a major issue because in the past, the DR Congo rated as having one of the highest road fatality rates in the world.

For people living in poverty, especially youths, transportation is critical. It is the key to access basic services such as health, education, and is a means to improve current and future livelihood opportunities.

Why is this film important?

Horaci Garcia Marti’s film (above) How DR Congo’s wooden bikes drive profit in Goma is a valuable and important work for a number of reasons.

The film centers on a local young man Tumaini Obedi. With a duration of only 2 mins 37sec, it packs a lot of food for thought by providing Tumaini’s personal experiences riding his Chukudu – and of poverty, urban living, road safety, family and hopes of the future – issues that many people can relate to.

There is a real elegance to the coasting scenes in this film, where the riders are flying along seemingly effortlessly.

Watching this film, I can’t help but think of the exorbitant amounts of money charged by Western bikes companies. But bikes don’t need to be top of the range to make this contrast challenging.

Once you have seen a Chukudu, you’ll view pretty much any bike thereafter differently.

That’s why I like this film. It is short, relatable, and tells an impactful story.

Not only is it important for this story to be told in and of itself, but further, it will give riders specifically pause to think – and be grateful.

All Images from: How DR Congo’s wooden bikes drive profit in Goma

26/03/201826/03/2018

30 days of Biking – 1 week to go!

As many of you know, World Bicycle Relief is one of the NGOs that is aligned with many aspects of my PhD bicycle research. Next week is April. That means a full month of extra happy riding! Why? Well, it’s 30 Days of Biking time of course! So get motivated and get amongst it! Now is the time to register! Have fun! Ride bikes! Do good!

What is the aim of 30 Days of Biking?

The goal is simple: Ride your bike every day in April, share your adventures online, and help your community provide life-changing bicycles to students in rural Africa!

What is the 30 Days of Biking?

Click here for the link to the official 30 Days of Biking website.

From the WBR website, the most important info to know is, you…

Pledge to ride your bike every day in April
Join riders from all over the world and make it more meaningful by fundraising for WBR
Share your adventures on social media using #30DaysofBiking

30 Days of Biking began in 2010, in Minnesota, USA. Today, it boasts thousands of pledged riders in dozens of cities around the world. #30DaysofBiking also encourages you to join or lead your own rides during April. It’s free to everyone, everywhere.

Whether you ride for exercise, environmental advocacy, socializing or for fun, you can make an impact.

There is no distance too short and no donation too small – keep riding and don’t give up!

CREATING IMPACT

Last year, the 30 Days of Biking community collected over 7,000 pledges and raised over $15,000. The aim this year if to unite as a global community and reach 10,000 pledges and raise over USD$30,000 for life-changing Buffalo Bicycles in rural Africa!

You can see a list of who pledges (as long as they are public) here. At the time of this post, the total number of pledges to date is:

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

Pledge by visiting 30DaysofBiking
Start your #30DaysOfBiking fundraiser to share your joy of riding with students in rural Africa!
Share your 30 Days of Biking journey on social media using #PowerofBicycles and #30DaysofBiking
Follow this global movement via Joyful Riders Worldwide Facebook page.

Further questions and inquiries? Email: Mary Beth Johnson at mbjohnson@worldbicyclerelief.org.

Image: Instagram #30daysofbiking

What kind of events can you do for 30 days of Biking?

Anything you want!

Limited only by your imagination!

You can host a regular weekly bike ride, a movie night, a family ride, a tiny bicycle shop concert (my personal favourite!) – or any other manner of social events that involve riding.

What a great way to build community and do some good!

If you already ride a lot and are keen to give it a go – now is the time to register!

To whet your motivation, here are some fun ways other US cyclists are kicking off the challenge (click here to see more events). Good luck with yours!

All images: World Bicycle Relief 2018

26/11/201729/11/2017

Village Bicycle Project

Village Bicycle Project (VBP) is a completely volunteer-run organization that collects and sends second-hand bicycles to community partners only in Ghana and Sierra Leone.

VBP has been in operation since 1999 and has its base headquarters in Seattle, USA.

It was originally founded to provide transport options of Ghana’s rural residents and farmers and has since expanded on this aim.

VBP facilitates the on-the-ground distribution and sales of bicycles that are either sourced through direct donation or via collection drives undertaken by local partner organisations based in the USA, Canada and Europe, such as Bike Works (Seattle), Recycle-a-Bicycle (New York City) and Bikes not Bombs (Chicago).

Their motto is Affordable and sustainable transportation to Africa and Changing lives in Africa.

The core philosophy framing all VBP policy and practice is not to give bicycles for free.

A clear statement on the VBP website explains the justification for this ideology as being threefold. They believe that supplying free bikes will flood the local market which undermines local bike enterprises and associated livelihoods, that free bikes do not remain in possession of those who need it most and that it devalues the bicycle as well as precipitates a reliance on aid.

Once the bikes are sourced, they undergo rigorous condition checks to ensure that only second-hand bikes of excellent quality are included, while the rest are stripped for parts.

When collection reaches distribution point, a 40” shipping container is filled with 450 bicycles and is shipped over to distribution partners in Africa.

Each shipment is divided into three streams on arrival, 150 bikes are reserved for VBP one-day maintenance workshops, a quota is reserved for other partnership initiatives (such as supplying bicycles for rural teachers). The rest of the bicycles and extra parts are sold to local bike retailers to pay the $5000 cost of shipping the container to Africa.

VBP ships about 20 containers to Africa each year.

As well as supplying bicycles, tools and spare parts, VBP provides access to mechanics for assistance and runs a number of programs. Programs include bicycles with maintenance workshops, learn to ride, bicycle mechanic training and bicycle collection and distribution.

The one-day maintenance workshop is free for anyone who has purchased one of their bikes. This course shows new owners how change flat tires, check gears and brakes and provides advice to increase biking confidence and safe riding practices.

Girls-only riding and bicycle programs

VBP specifically targets women and girls for inclusion to help begin to address the gender inequalities that limit accesses to bicycles (VBP, 2015).

The VBP website states that as of 2017, they achieved: 106,000 bikes supplied to Ghana and Sierra Leone, 3500 girls and women have learnt to ride a bike through one of their programs; 18,000 people have been trained in bike repairs; and 60,00 tools have been distributed to support the increase of bicycles in communities (VBP, 2016).

In 2014 with the help of Clara Matthews, VBP launched their girls’ only after-school month long ‘learn to ride’ classes in Lunsa, Sierra Leone. These classes were held in community parks to capitalise on being open air, friendly and socially inclusive programs within the community and were used to try to improve community acceptance of more girls riding bicycles.

VBP features in Laurens Hof’s (2016) Master’s Thesis entitled Teaching girls how to ride a bicycle: gender and cycling in Lunsar, Sierra Leone, and as a case study in Jack Furness One less car: Bicycling and the politics of automobility, but has so far not been included in any empirical academic publications beyond being mentioned in passing.

All images from Village Bicycle Project.

15/05/201615/05/2016

The Cultural Significance of Bicycles in Cameroon

By Gabriel Besong Etchu

Bicycles are western innovations that were designed for sightseeing, leisure, sports and short-distanced movement. However, in Cameroon, bicycles play a fundamental role regarding of our cultural exigencies. Before the arrival of cars and motorcycles, bicycles were regarded as ostentatious goods and a basic necessity when it comes to cultural issues such as marriages. For example, before a man marries a woman, he has to do “knock-door” which simply implies that he can only seek the consent of the woman’s parents by knocking their door with a bicycle.

This bicycle will be used by the future spouse to go to farms that are far away, and to local market places. This is why in Cameroon, bicycles are often regarded as part and parcel of the bride price. Below is a picture of a young farmer who has accumulated some capital in order to afford a used bicycle, which he could offer as part of the price for his bride. In addition, it is generally believed in Cameroon that when a married woman stresses for long by trekking every day, she will wither like a flower. Therefore, in Cameroon, bicycles have a dual cultural significance in relation to marriage.

Gabriel Beson Etchu is our Guest Blogger, unveiling some of Cameroon’s bicycle culture for the fortnight from 2nd May to 15th May.

07/05/201607/05/2016

Cameroon’s President Biya ‘loves’ bicycles too.

By Gabriel Besong Etchu

Bicycles are utilised by many African Presidents and more precisely, by the Cameroon President Paul Biya, as an instrument to demonstrate their physical fitness and ability to lead their nation.

Not ‘fit’ to lead?

In the early 1990s, there was a public outcry of criticisms regarding President Biya’s physical and intellectual ability to pilot the state affairs of Cameroon. These criticisms were largely because he had been in power since 1982 until the present date of 2016, well over 32 years in power. Many people thought he had withered like a flower and was no longer ‘fit’ to lead the nation.

A show of strength

To end these public critiques, President Biya made a well-publicised display of riding a bicycle in public, covering a distance of 2 km as a means of sensitising and informing his compatriots that he is still up to the task of leading Cameroon, despite his advanced age. It was clearly a bold move, but one that was strategically designed to stopping naysayers and to exemplify the necessary vigour , strength and fitness required for both tasks. What a confident image he portrays. Bicycles are integral to social status and power. So in this instance, it is clear to see the political significance of bicycles in Cameroon.

Bicycles are integral to social status and credibility in Cameroon. This instance clearly demonstrates their role and importance – in this case, for the political significance of bicycles in Cameroon.

Gabriel Beson Etchu is our Guest Blogger, unveiling some of Cameroon’s bicycle culture for the fortnight from 2nd May to 15th May.

04/05/201607/05/2016

Rural Sub-Saharan Africa – Bicycles and economic empowerment

By Gabriel Beson Etchu

In Sub-Saharan Africa, bicycles are considered to be the primary source of mobility. Most people in these countries use bicycles to travel to faraway places to fend for their livelihood. Others use bicycles to reach areas where land is fertile for agriculture, to transport their farm products to local markets and to seek for health facilities located far away.

Economic Uses

In this region, there are glaring examples of men carrying more than 2oo liters of water using a simple bicycle. No wonder, NGOs like Plan International have recognise the economic importance of bicycles and have equally embarked on a massive distribution of bicycles to countries like Cameroon and Burkina Faso not only to fight hunger and starvation but also to promote education as well.

Political Uses

Even dictatorial governments and corrupt politicians in Sub-Saharan Africa countries provide bicycles to soldiers, so as to penetrate the hinterlands and to make sure that they remain in power. Many people have seen pictures in the media and online of Cameroonian soldiers who are often sent by bicycle to the hinterlands or non-accessible areas to counteract the infiltration of the Islamic Sect, Boko Haram. Hence, one could also talk of the political importance of bicycles in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Gabriel Beson Etchu is our Guest Blogger, unveiling some of Cameroon’s bicycle culture for the fortnight from 2nd May to 15th May.

27/03/201628/03/2016

First Ever Black Female UCI RWC

When researching for this blog, I read about many inspiring and rewarding stories, projects and groups – but this one stopped me dead in my tracks.

I was incredibly moved this week to see that this month’s UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, USA saw the debut of the first ever black African female cyclist – Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu from Team Rwanda.

Jeanne d’Arc has come onto the scene at a very opportune time and given that I am currently researching the devastating fact that being a female restricts all aspects of life in many countries – and that bicycles can often provide some means to ameliorate some of these issues – her participation at world class competitive cycling events is a game changer in also providing hope and opportunities for would-be cyclists from poor or war-torn countries.

That Jeanne d’Arc was the only black African woman on the podium this February, in Morocco at the African Continental Championships where she came second in the individual time trials speak volumes about a change very much needed in cycling – and that she has caused quite a welcomed stir in the media.

It is still quite a novelty to see Japanese riders in the Tour de France, so the impact and precedence that Jeanne d’Arc’s success could make cannot be underestimated. Female cyclists worldwide have struggled to gain the attention, sponsorship, support and coverage that their male cycling counterparts have – compounded by dire socio-economic conditions and a lack of role models or any cultural history in the sport – what an amazing feat of self-belief to overcome such significant barriers!

Her success and presence opens up the cycling industry by providing a positive female role model for not just African women, but for all athletes who is under or not represented at world sporting events.

From the ashes

Hutu and Tutsi fighting first broke out in October 1990 and the conflict escalated to full-blown war crimes across Rwanda and drew in neighboring countries, like Tanzania, Zaire, Uganda and Burundi. Despite a UN intervention in 1993 being operationalized in Rwanda, a breakdown in peace talks in April 1994 (where the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed) set off a tidal wave of attacks, crimes and ethnic killings. 1994 -1997 saw some of the Rwanda’s worst and most unspeakable violence, war rape and genocide to occur during African’s First War. This crippled the country, and in 1994, half of Rwanda’s 7.5 million people were forced to leave their homes and yet the protracted and ferocious fighting continued. Finally in 1999, the official fighting was brought under control, yet this left 40% of Rwanda either dead or fled – and those left behind severely traumatised. The country has been struggling to repair ever since.

Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu was born in 1995, so she only 21, which means she was born and grew up in this situation – which in itself is a remarkable thought. The fact that she is also a very gifted cyclist AND has found a way to train to an elite level AND found support so that she has reached the position she is in now is nothing less than astonishing.

On so many levels, her story is one of inspiration, courage, dedication and commitment – and also one of hope and change.

I am in awe of Jeanne d’Arc, her supporters and team – and have no doubt that her influence and presence will ignite inspiration and admiration both on and off the bike.

I am excited to see what developments and changes will happen – best of luck Jeanne d’Arc!!

Image: Dean-Warren Source: Cycling Tips.com