The Land of the Honest Men II: Burkinabé navigation and the art of haggling

Who'd be a Burkinabé postman?

Getting around Ouaga is a little more challenging than the few swipes on the Google Maps app on which the Western Generation Y are now dependent. First of all, many streets are unnamed and unpaved. Street signs which do exist are often unclear and the identical alleys cross the sprawling suburbs are often numbered. The task can become ever more herculean during the frequent daily power cuts (as a side note, there are few sights as eerie as seeing all the lights of a motorway simultaneously black-out at night).

So tactics have been designed to remedy the situation. Water towers (châteaux d'eau) painted with coloured advertisements often loom high above the shacks that line the roads. You point the taxi driver to your local tower­. Pharmacies are also landmarks, as their big green crosses are the most visible points de référence when driving (or rather scooting) around. My house, for instance, is just off the main national motorway near the 'Jumbo' water tower just before the 'Pharmacie du progres' (Pharmacy of Progress).

Photo: Local transport

Photo: Châteaux d'eau

Photo: Mopeds in the city centre

The art of haggling

Prices are rarely displayed... anywhere. Every purchase becomes a constant retrospective wonder of 'did I get ripped off?'. The problem is particularly acute for newcomers who have no concept of local prices, such as British volunteers getting to grips with dividing everything by 700 (£1 = 720 CFA) on the spot. The rule of thumb, however, is that life is significantly cheaper than most of 'the West'. Even when living on a modest local currency stipend, it still feels like a bargain to get a burger and chips for a little over £2.

Even the taxis agree a price with you before the journey. Meters don't exist in the huge fleet of self-employed taxi drivers, who after getting their license, paint their banged-up Mercedes or Renault into 'taxis verts' (green taxis). After negotiating the price, the chauffeur proceeds to try and load up his taxi - two in the front and four in the back - taking whichever route gives him the best chance to do so. Time just doesn't matter to many people. They're perfectly content to not rush. Petrol prices, on the other hand, do cause grumblings, as at 712 CFA (£1) per litre, margins are tight for the minority choosing not to zip around on two wheels. 

Photo: Taxis verts