Shot in Kampala, Uganda, this is the story about Ugandan bike tyrant-stickers.
The most common form of transportation in Uganda is the "Boda Boda", a bike-taxi which offers a cheap
way to get around the country's overly congested roads. A strong culture of Boda customizing has developed in Kampala as drivers try to jazz-up their rides to attract passengers.
While riding around the city it was hard not to notice a trend where drivers would decorate their bikes with stickers of some of the nastiest figures in human history. Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, as well as Uganda's very own Idi Amin, were only some of the dubious faces looking back at you while riding a Boda in Kampala's busy streets.
One driver tells me “these are the baddest men on earth, if you got them on your bike it shows you're not afraid of anything”. Many of these leaders are viewed differently in Uganda. Gaddafi is regarded as a great friend of the country. He funded Ugandan militias and invested heavily in the country. He was offered asylum in Uganda during the Arab Spring. Osama Bin Laden is a polarizing figure in Uganda. Al- Qaeda was responsible for a suicide bombing in Kampala during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final where 74 people died. On the other hand, his organisation has strongly rooted itself in the country over the last decade.
Onlookers don't seem too alarmed by this trend, "Oh, these Boda guys are just crazy" one mechanic tells me. Do people know about Hitler here?" I asked, "he's the rich man from Europe" the man replied.
