The Bajaj

Before the Bajaj came to small towns in Ethiopia and the outskirts of Addis Ababa the alternative used to be a gig or walking. Today the Bajajs are part of the picture of each small town, as the blue and white Ladas and the Anbessa buses are part of Addis Ababa’s cityscape. The size and shape of the Bajajs with all the messages pasted on the shade made out of plastic is the main identity of those half-motorcycle and half-vehicle means of transport.

The famous Ethiopian poet Bewuketu Seyoum described the construction of Bajaj jokingly that they are made out of maximum textile and minimum metal.