- published: 04 Mar 2008
- views: 15594
Boda-boda (or bodaboda) also known as a Poda-Poda in some parts of Africa is a bicycle taxi, originally in East Africa (from English border-border). The bicycle rider can also be called boda-boda. In Uganda it is often abbreviated as simply Boda.
The boda-boda taxis are part of the African bicycle culture; they started in the 1960s and 1970s and are still spreading from their origin on the Kenyan - Ugandan border to other regions. The name originated from a need to transport people across the "no-mans-land" between the border posts without the paperwork involved with using motor vehicles crossing the international border. This started in southern border crossing town of Busia (Kenya/Uganda), where there is over half a mile between the gates, and quickly spread to the northern border town of Malaba (Kenya). The bicycle owners would shout out boda-boda (border-to-border) to potential customers - not to be confused with poda-poda, which is a form of shared taxi in Sierra Leone.
Indian or Chinese standard roadster bicycles are used with locally made carriers and a cushion to transport passengers and goods. There are big advantages compared to the expensive, slow and heavy Cycle rickshaw used in Asia.
Boda may refer to:
Wilbur Sargunaraj (born July 7, 1977) (Tamil: வில்பர் சர்குணராஜ்) is a performing artist from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is widely known as India's first YouTube sensation, with nearly 3.1 million views[citation needed] for his music and instructional videos.
His videos feature him singing to “Mummy, Daddy” that he wants “the Love Marriage”, expounding the virtues of “Chicken 65”, and donning a Chennai Super Kings jersey to explain the rules of cricket, in rhyme, no less. Sargunaraj has also been touring the world with an aim of “making the common man extra-ordinary.” He is known for a series of 'How To' videos,'music' and he has released two albums:
Sargunaraj has created a new music genre - which he calls Indo World Fusion.[citation needed] His music is a blend of Indian Music and Electronica. He has been influenced by such artists as Boney M and Michael Jackson. His songs are his way to promote cultural intelligence with various languages being heard in his track listing. Sargunaraj has a large following with fans from India, US, UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.[citation needed] He has performed in Canada, Indonesia, Singapore and will be touring of India, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Singapore and South East Asia in support of his second CD (Simple Superstar) released in 2011.