ISSP skola / GRĀMATAS 2013 / Aija Bley

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Aija Bley - Taxi Boys

- NOSAUKUMS: Mani Āfrikas puiši. Taxi boys.

- AUTORS: AIJA BLEY

- LAPASPUŠU SKAITS: 19 

- IZMĒRS: 20x21cm

- TIRĀŽA: 10

- DRUKAS VEIDS: DIGITAL 

- PAPĪRS: 250g MATT + cartons 1,5mm 

- ZGATAVOŠANAS VEIDS: Līmēta

-CENA: 50 LVL

Esmu ieradusies Gambijā tūrisma sezonas pašās beigās. Apmetos tukšā viesnīcā ar skatu uz okeānu, krāsainām zvejnieku laivām un nomelnējušu takšu garāžu, kurā bariņš jaunu puišu dīki gaida klientus. Hei, bos ledy, taxi! Ar to tiek domāta baltā sieviete, kurai ir nauda. Es esmu māksliniece, man nav naudas un man nepatīk ka mani tā uzrunā. Tāpēc nekādu taxi neņemu, bet spītīgi pa saules izdedzināto ceļu pārvietojos kājām. Bet šeit ir Gambija - smaidošā piekraste. Te smaidīt ir pienākums, darbs, tūrisma zīmols un ieradums.

Tad nu es eju un smaidu visiem taksistiem, kas piestājas un pārmijuši sveicienu piedāvā mani aizvest “ pa vietējo cenām” . Pēc nedēļas viņi jau zin, ka nekur nebraukšu, tomēr ceļš no viesnīcas līdz pludmalei ir kļuvis par ikdienas sasveicināšanās rituālu. Jau pēc laika es pazīstu viņus visus. Viņi vairs neuzrunā mani par bos ledy, izturas ļoti draudzīgi un daži pat bildina. Pievakarē viņi cienā mani ar ataija, stipru un saldu tēju, pīpē zāli un mobilajā telefonā klausās regeju. Tā vienmēr ir viena un tā pati Morgan Haritage dziesma

“Africa am coming”. Pēdējā vakarā viņi uztaisa man atvadu ballīti pludmalē un es viņus visus nofotografēju.

Oooh yey yea yeey

Ooooooh yeee

I'm coming home baby just hold on

Yeeah

Oooh yey yeah yeeey

Ooh yeah

I'm coming home (yeah)

There was a time when all I wanted to do

Was the only things that mattered to me (yeeah)

But when a man and a woman builds their home

A man's gotta do what his family needs him to do

I have arrived to Gambia when the tourism season has come to its very end. I stay in an empty hotel with a view to coloured fishermen’s boats and blackened, vacant garage, where a bunch of young men await the customers. Hey, boss, lady - taxi! I dislike to be addressed like that – meaning a white female with money. I am an artist, not here for leisure, not being paid for taking the photos either. If honestly, this concerns only me, so I refuse to take a taxi and stubbornly carry on my walk on a sunburnt, overheated road. But this is Gambia – the smiling coast. To smile is like a duty here, a tourism brand, as well as a habit.

So I walk along and smile at all the taxi drivers, who stop by, say hello and offer me a ride for a “local” price. After a week mostly all of them have gathered that I am not getting a ride to anywhere, but the stopping by along my walk from the hotel to the beach has become some sort of a ritual for us. After two weeks I already know them all. As requested, they do not call me “boss lady” anymore, are very friendly, some of them even offer to marry me. Come the evening, they treat me with ataya – a very sweet and strong tea, smoke weed and play reggae on their mobile phones. It is the same Morgan Haritage track over and over again - “Africa I’m coming”. On the very last evening they arrange a farewell party for me on the beach and I take pictures of them all.