Last year, angry bicycle and motorbike riders staged protests by burning things in the streets and knocking down traffic lights. What in the earth caused such a laid-back population to do such a thing?
The waitress at our favourite ice cream bar - and only ice cream bar in town - explained to us recently why people don't wear helmets in Burkina Faso. We were talking about Australia, and how you have to wear a helmet if you ride a bicycle or a motorbike, and she remarked that it's mostly white people who wear helmets in Burkina. She herself owns a helmet but doesn't wear it because it's too hot and, well, it disturbs a woman's carefully coiffed hair (usually extensions or a wig).
We asked her why the government doesn't introduce a law making helmets compulsory, especially when the majority of the adult population uses a 'moto' as their main form of transport (cars are only for the very rich). Apparently, such a law was introduced last year in the capital. However, the people were not happy having this law imposed on them...so they revolted.
Police were given the power to confiscate the moto of any rider who wasn't wearing a helmet. The offender then had to go to a special police station where all the motos were taken, and pay a fine to retrieve their moto. This did not please the Burkinabé, even though the law was put in place to help reduce the number of road accidents (we see them almost every day).
So these unhappy 'moto-ists' staged protests by burning things in the streets and knocking down traffic lights...basically causing havoc until the law was reversed. Perhaps the RTA needs to lend their road safety campaign to this country - 'if you don't need a head, you don't need a helmet.'
Cathlin
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