Bikes and phones- reasons to be cheerful

2 technologies are dominant in the streetscape in zambia, the mobile phone, and the bicycle. Mobiles are a must have and if possible people seem to spend even more time texting here than in the uk. There are a surprising amount of Blackberries here, sometimes owned by apparently quite poor people, and generally the phones seems quite neat and smart. There is a 3G network which has pretty good coverage and allows skype voice calls and mobile internet services. In only a decade or so they have caught up to a level of communication that took the developed world a century of hard work to achieve. 

Bikes are a big contrast - they look like the bikes from the 1950’s mainly, almost all black, with old fashioned handlebars that look like a bulls horns, only male type frames, a carrier on the back - often with a basket made of reeds, and a heavy looking stand, and no gears. They need to be strong, as most bikes have a rider/pedaller, and a passenger, either on the rack at the back, or riding ‘croggie’ sitting on the crossbar trying hard to keep both legs raised out of the way of the knees of the person who is pedalling. In the absence of a passenger, surprisingly  large amounts of firewood or fruit or veg can be transported on the back. If you are on a bike alone and you want to look like a bit of a dude, you sit on the rack behind the seat and pedal from there like Peter Fonda in Easy Rider on his customised Harley Davidson.  There are no lights, no bells, and i haven’t seen anyone use any brakes, either. Luckily this part of Zambia is so flat it makes Lincolnshire seem like the alps. The bikes are a brilliant solution to the problem of how to get around in a hot flat poor country. Unfortunately bikes have one huge disadvantage in this area, which is next door to South Luangwa National Park ….. They are not popular with Elephants. For reasons that are unclear, the sight of a bike induces a similar reaction to that observed in owners of Chelsea tractors in London. Both become enraged at the image of effortless progress and jealous of the low fuel consumption(I am guessing about the Ellies) and charge. Unfortunately, the result can be a pile of junked metal and at best, a badly injured cyclist, so sadly I have been advised not to try riding a bike in Mfuwe  (or London), especially as my possible sources of medical assistance are few to say the least. 

Both bikes and phones have spawned an array of supporting businesses. About a quarter of street stalls sell top up vouchers for the phones, and many of the rest sell bicycle parts - tyres, tubes, seats, puncture repair. There is quite a bit of broken glass on the roads and i have a sneaking suspicion about who puts it there! 

It is extremely easy to be very pessimistic because of the huge problems that Africa is facing- AIDS, corruption,  and  population growth being the most obvious. But seeing bikes and phones, 2 things that have clearly made life better for most people, and have not depended on charity, does allow one to have a little hope that progress can be made.