Not an uncommon sight in Kinshasa
There are some things you stop noticing after a while, but these old wrecks fascinate me.
Imagine the stop-motion film: from the moment the engine coughed and died for the last time, probably in heavy traffic, through the hopeless repair efforts followed by the salvaging of all removeable parts, to the gradual rusting and the growth of weeds as it becomes part of the scenery. And at some point in the film, there’s a scene in which the wreck gets pushed onto its side to clear the road....
In Kinshasa, services come to you, whether you want them or not. The vendors and touts follow the money, day and night. By day, they line the busier streets, proffering everything from hard-boiled eggs, phone cards and ice cream to live rabbits and malachite kingfishers. Or they sell knowledge, finding what you seek in the market, for an arbitrary commission (quite useful, this).
By night, apart from the usual array of seedier services, hustlers gather outside restaurants, bars and clubs, selling cigarettes and guarding cars from imaginary threats. I’ve never seen a rose-seller here, but we do have good old-fashioned photographers. They seem to do OK, although I fear their days are numbered as digital cameras get cheaper, and more and more people take snaps with their phones....
In
Africa,
Work,
People,
Photography,
improvisation,
markets,
creativity,
night,
D R Congo,
Kinshasa,
street