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Tuesday 12 March 2013

'Tumaini' - KiSwahili for 'Hope'

If you look at the side of the blue truck container you can see the word 'TUMAINI' which in KiSwahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, means 'Hope'. So who wrote it on a normal commercial truck and why?

Well, it's a mix of the amazing African characteristics of positivity and optimism, partly a blend of religious metaphors of salvation and also a symbol of the daily struggle most face here.

Now have a look in the shadow of the truck between the wheel axles. Sitting quietly in the shade is the truck driver. He's just getting on with fixing something in the cool at the hottest point of the day. He hopes to get it fixed. He hopes to get back on the road soon. He is Africa.

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