MOLUE - The Last Generation
Damilola Onafuwa | Lagos | Nigeria
Whenever public transportation in Lagos is being discussed, names like Danfo, Keke, okada are easily mentioned, however, the history of public road transportation in Lagos dates back to the 1920s. “Bolekaja” which translates as “Come down and let’s fight” precedes the Molue. It was a wooden lorry with a passenger carriage at the back where passengers were crammed together. In case of an argument, there was never enough space so passengers would ask to come down and fight, hence the name of the vehicle. When Bolekaja was banned, the Molue replaced it. The Molue was made of mostly Mercedez Benz 911 Flatbed truck, fitted with locally made passenger compartments. Apart from the steering wheel, the dashboards of most Molues are missing all the functioning gadgets. The name ‘Molue’ is a Yoruba adaptation of the word remold. The legendary Afro-beat musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti referred to the Molue when he sang “44 sitting, 99 standing” in his song “Shuffering and Shmilling”. This project explores the last generation of the Molue, the last generation of this mode of transportation as it slowly goes out of existence and being replaced by more comfortable, modern buses in the city, the BRT.
Whenever public transportation in Lagos is being discussed, names like Danfo, Keke, okada are easily mentioned, however, the history of public road transportation in Lagos dates back to the 1920s. “Bolekaja” which translates as “Come down and let’s fight” precedes the Molue. It was a wooden lorry with a passenger carriage at the back where passengers were crammed together. In case of an argument, there was never enough space so passengers would ask to come down and fight, hence the name of the vehicle. When Bolekaja was banned, the Molue replaced it. The Molue was made of mostly Mercedez Benz 911 Flatbed truck, fitted with locally made passenger compartments. Apart from the steering wheel, the dashboards of most Molues are missing all the functioning gadgets. The name ‘Molue’ is a Yoruba adaptation of the word remold. The legendary Afro-beat musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti referred to the Molue when he sang “44 sitting, 99 standing” in his song “Shuffering and Shmilling”. This project explores the last generation of the Molue, the last generation of this mode of transportation as it slowly goes out of existence and being replaced by more comfortable, modern buses in the city, the BRT.
Production Credits & Technical Details
Music by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
Photos and Sound Recording by Damilola Onafuwa
Historical Image of Bolekaja from the Internet
This project includes music, photographs and real life sounds from the "subject vehicle"
about the artist
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