AP Television Port-au-Prince, 25 April 2009 1. Tap-tap bus exiting roundabout 2. Tap-tap at regular stops 3. Close up of painting on one of the doors portraying football player Lionel Messi 4. Painting of NBA basketball player Carmelo Anthony 5. Painting on back of tap-tap of Argentinean soccer star Diego Maradona 6. Painting on back of tap-tap of football player Lionel Messi 7. Signature of the artist with his phone number 8. SOUNDBITE: (French) Yessika Myrthil, Co-founder and Secretary of APATAH (Professional Association of Tap-Tap Artists of Haiti): "Well, the term tap-tap means, well, I take the vehicle here and 'tap' it brings me here, 'tap' it takes me there. It is never for a long distance trip, this is the kind of transportation for short distances." 9. Crossroads in downtown Port-au-Prince where many tap-tap stop 10. Wide of tap-tap 11. Close up of driver 12. Painting of the Virgin Mary and child on back of tap-tap 13. Painting reading (in French) 'La Sagesse' meaning 'Wisdom' on back of tap-tap 14. Tap-tap leaving 15. People getting into tap-tap 16. People inside tap-tap 17. Tap-tap leaving 18. SOUNDBITE: (French) Yessika Myrthil, Co-founder and Secretary of APATAH (Professional Association of Tap-Tap Artists of Haiti): "The tap-tap is part of the socio-cultural and economical patrimony of the country. We must safeguard it, do our best not to lose this beauty." 27 April 2009 19. Pan of workshop where tap-taps are built and decorated 20. Can of red paint 21. Artist painting 22. Wide of workshop with different tap-taps being decorated 23. Worker scraping surface of tap-tap before painting 24. Various of designer drawing designs on tap-tap 26. SOUNDBITE: (Creole) Jean Jacques Wilfride Joseph, Senior Artist : "The making of the tap-tap is done in two parts. There is the painting like the one done by the workers over there and then there is the artist who is the one who does the designs. He draws the pictures, the animals, the birds or maybe he has to follow a picture of the Immaculate Virgin, a saint or of a famous television star. For example in the streets you can see tap-taps with images of basketball players or singers or famous stars of Haitian music." 27. Various of designs 28. SOUNDBITE: (Creole) Jean Jacques Wilfride Joseph, Senior Artist : "The simplest can cost around one and a half to two thousand Haitian dollars (Gourdes, the actual name of the Haitian currency or 38 - 55 US dollars) but then they can get more complicated and the price goes up to four thousand Haitian dollars (Gourdes or 110 US dollars) and I'm only talking about the basic painting without any sort of decoration. Then if we talk about drawings and special things that is up to the artist to set the fee. But if we talk about a good tap-tap like these ones here, a serious tap-tap, then the basic price (for building it) is thirty thousand Haitian dollars (Gourdes or 820 US dollars)." 29. Various of carpenter at work inside tap-tap 25 April 2009 30. Romantic scene painted on door of tap-tap 31. Tilt up of tap-tap with 'Cool Baby' sign LEADIN : A storm of colour and music, the tap-tap is a public bus that plays music, is very brightly decorated and is a cheap and cheerful mode of transport in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. STORYLINE: In a city with no public transport system the tap-tap is one of the few ways to get around the capital Port-au-Prince, if you cannot afford a car. Taxis fares are agreed with the driver in advance, but are often prohibitively expensive for local people, which makes them scarce and used only by foreigners. The 8 mile trip to Port-au-Prince from the airport costs $10 USD. The average wage in Haiti is little over $1 USD a day. Keyword wacky You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/95709f435adfa0e0392cfa2e95520517 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 23 Jul 2015
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