Original subtitles

(dramatic ominous music)

(relaxing upbeat African instrumental music)

(truck rumbling)

In the heart of West Africa,

people drive on roads which don't deserve to be called that.

They are dusty dirt tracks which don't appear on any maps

that can only be traveled on with great effort

and during a few months of the year.

Risk is a passenger on every trip.

(horse neighing)

(trucks rumbling)

(sand hissing)

(ominous chiming music)

(birds chirping)

In Mali's bushland in the savanna

of this West African country

there are a few fully developed roads.

The dirt tracks seem to make erratic lines

on the parched planes.

(taxi rumbling)

Most people here don't own a car.

Minibuses, pickups and lorries commute

between the villages.

On market days there is intense activity,

many traders and customers along the road.

Since the dirt tracks are unpredictable

and the vehicles are in bad shape,

each trip becomes an adventure.

(people speaking in foreign language)

In the past few years Abdulai Dombele has been driving

for a transport entrepreneur.

He's a focused driver because no one is immune

to unwanted surprises on the dusty dirt tracks.

Abdulai knows many of his passengers.

In order to keep them happy,

he talks to them.

He wants them to feel that they are in safe hands.

(people speaking in foreign language)

Accidents happen all the time here.

There are so many bends in our roads.

God has blessed me with luck.

Since I've been working I've not had an accident yet,

but cars keep tipping over.

The roads are in bad condition.

Not a month goes by when you don't hear

of a car having tipped over.

The drivers who are not from here,

they just go too fast.

(people speaking in foreign language)

Abdulai's passengers are traders and merchants.

They travel from market to market to sell that goods.

They only take the minibus in the dry periods.

When the rains come they travel in boats.

Cars would get bogged down in the mud and water.

(people speaking in foreign language)

We are done for when the water disappears

between Diafarabe and Tenenkou

Then there are a lot of potholes and the dust is awful.

Now it's just torture,

but that's the way it is.

Whatever work you do,

you can't run away from it.

Only when God releases you,

you can get away from it.

For about seven months,

between October and May, it's dry.

Then it's high season for transports over land.

As soon as the first rain comes the region turns

into one huge sheet of water.

(relaxing ominous music)

In Central Mali in the Massina region,

the River Niger,

one of the mightiest rivers in the world,

floods large areas.

The dirt tracks disappear.

Only when the water retreats can the villages be reached

by vehicle again.

(relaxing African instrumental music)

(wind howling)

What is left is sand and dust.

The dry, hot northeast wind from the Sahara,

the Harmattan brings even more dust.

In March and April the temperature sores to over 50 degrees.

It's misty for weeks on end.

Vehicles have trouble picking their way between broken earth

and washed out faults.

It takes time for new dirt tracks to be created.

(people shouting in foreign language)

The heat makes people short-tempered.

An argument between the carriers who are loading up a truck.

What's it about?

Probably only the one who is most upset knows for sure.

His coworker said that the racket won't last long.

They prefer to preserve their strength.

The work is strenuous.

Countless bags of onions, dried fish,

millet, spices and mangoes

need to be loaded onto the lorries.

They often weigh 30,

40 or more kilos.

There is hardly anything that isn't taken on,

be it an individual piece or a mass product.

It's all a question of price,

space and good will.

(drums clanging to the ground)

To ensure that the lorries don't tip over,

the heavy stuff goes at the bottom,

into the middle if possible.

Seeko Indaye knows about the importance of correct loading.

He and his colleague,

Diajay Maiga have been driving their lorry

through the Savanna half their lives.

Although they are not blood related

and each is his own boss,

they feel like brothers.

Togetherness in the bush and the challenges

of the job have forged a bond over the years.

The routes are dangerous.

At first, it seems easy to drive between the bushes

and trees but if you go fast,

accidents are quick to happen,

especially around bends.

Traffic has increased.

There are more mopeds,

more cars and more donkey carts driven by the villagers.

If you think,

I know the way,

there are no potholes and you drive fast,

you can easily bump into a cart driver or a moped,

or you crash into another car.

(people chatting in foreign language)

Next up after the goods are the animals.

They travel together with their owners.

To make sure nothing is lost during the trip,

the load is secured with ropes,

chords and straps.

(people speaking in foreign language)

Diajay and Seeko are responsible

for the transport.

They have to make good for any loss or damage.

(people speaking in foreign language)

The passengers are the last to come onboard.

How they get up there is up to them.

They take their goods onboard too,

so they can always keep an eye on them.

(people speaking in foreign language)

It takes time for everyone to find their place.

The people wait in the heat for the departure.

There are always arguments about who sits where?

On top of the driver's cab is the most comfortable place.

Hey, tell him to fix the water canister.

The water canister,

take it off there and fix it here.

Whenever possible, Diajay

and Seeko drive in a convoy.

That way the drivers can help each other out

in the event of an accident or breakdown.

(truck rumbling)

Some late comers arrive who also want to travel.

The drivers wait for them.

They depend on every single customer.

(truck rumbling)

As long as Diajay

and Seeko don't arrive too late at the next station,

no one will complain.

For now, everyone is glad

that the trucks are finally moving,

(truck rumbling)

even if there are initial difficulties.

The passengers are stoic about the fact

that the trucks drive too closely to the trees

and they get hit by branches.

If there were going any faster,

this could cause serious injuries.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

The trucks struggle through the savanna like swaying ships.

The land is dusty and dry.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

(truck rumbling)

Strangers would get lost on these trails

as there are no signposts showing

which dirt track leads where and when.

Seeko knows the region like the back of his hand.

Even so, he has to concentrate.

(Seeko speaking in foreign language)

If you have a full load, for example,

and there are people sitting on top of that,

you have to be careful how you drive

because they could be sleepy.

If they doze off,

don't hold on and the car tips to one side,

they could fall off.

And they could also fall off in bends if you go too fast.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(truck rumbling)

The passengers who sit on the edge

have to make sure the hard spikes

of the thorn bushes don't hit them in the face.

Their eyes are smarting and their strength is waning.

The heat and the dust make you tired.

But the people watch out for each other,

after all, they're all not in the same boat,

but on the same truck.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(truck rumbling)

(lady speaking in foreign language)

If you get on and don't hold on properly,

you fall off.

That's why we sit close together.

You have to hold on to someone else

who will hold on to another person.

If there are too many people,

that's no good.

Why did I get on the truck?

Because the driver is careful,

also because the road is not good.

The driver is responsible for me and he's driving slowly.

(vehicle honking)

Abdulai Thembele has stopped his minibus

for a break in Dia,

a small village along the dirt track.

Some of the passengers have got off

and new ones get on to get to the market.

It's up to the drivers to make sure they

have enough customers.

There are a lot of minibuses competing and word gets around

which car is more comfortable and faster,

and which vehicle always breaks down.

Careful and responsible driving also matters.

But above all,

people use minibuses as a means

of transport are in a hurry.

(vehicle honking)

(vehicle rattling)

(people speaking in foreign language)

It's important for Abdulai to arrive safely.

The paths themselves are packing a punch

and he doesn't want to take additional risks

by driving callously.

(Abdulai speaking in foreign language)

It is normal on the bad paths

that there are no petrol stations along the way

and they take long.

You need the entire day just for one way.

You can't go back and forth twice.

You can only drive one way in one day

because the way is so difficult.

(dramatic ominous music)

(windows rattling)

Through the cracks,

dust gets into the minibus.

It gets into everything including the passengers pores.

There is more dust than air to breathe.

The temperature rises to almost 60 degrees.

Your skin dries out.

There's no escape.

Grit your teeth and hold on.

(dramatic ominous instrumental music)

(windows rattling)

(wind howling)

People have to put up

with great hardship all because of the bad roads.

The drivers also have problems.

It's slippery everywhere because they refuse

to upgrade the roads.

If the roads were good,

many mishaps wouldn't happen.

But this is part of our work as traders.

If we didn't have that,

we wouldn't be traveling here.

(dramatic ominous instrumental music)

(vehicle honking)

(truck rumbling)

(upbeat African instrumental music)

In places where hardly anyone travels

and vehicles rarely break the Savanna's silence

with their noise,

there is hustle and bustle on market days.

It's rush hour on Mali's dirt tracks.

The roads are full of people and their animals.

Since the dirt tracks are not made for a lot of vehicles,

dicey situations occur again and again.

(horse neighing)

(vehicle rumbling by on crunching gravel)

(horse neighing)

(horse huffing)

(horse neighing) (vehicle honking)

(man speaking in foreign language)

Did you see when he went by us so closely

we bent forwards to protect ourselves from the dust.

That's why we fear the car.

Horse and carts are better.

We don't like cars.

They get up to a lot of nonsense.

We drive very slowly.

I'm afraid of cars.

(horses clip-clopping)

Since minibuses and trucks started driving

on the dirt tracks along with the donkey

and horse carts there have been more accidents.

(motorbike engine rumbling)

The different speeds don't go together well.

The horses are spooked because they're not used

to having cars speed past them like lightning.

They are used to a different pace.

(horse clip-clopping)

(horse huffing)

(cart creaking)

Life in the savanna has a more leisurely rhythm

than life in the city.

For these people a horse

and cart is still the most affordable means of transport.

It doesn't need a petrol station or garage.

Minibuses are a threat to this infrastructure.

(people speaking in foreign language)

There is competition between us, absolutely.

They don't want us to transport people.

If everyone can make some money, that's good,

but they want to take all our passengers

and we're left with nothing.

That's the way it is.

The horse and donkey carts are still

in the majority.

The horse and cart approaches Diondiori

where there's a market day today.

(truck rumbling)

The passengers on the two trucks have also arrived

in Diondiori after the trip through the bushland.

Diajay is relieved every time

the transport goes smoothly.

Although the villages are not far from each other, 20,

30 or 50 kilometers at the most,

traveling through the wasteland is tiring even

for seasoned lorry drivers.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(motorbike engine rumbling)

As the lorries arrive they are unloaded.

The market only lasts for a few hours,

so traders and customers want to make full use of them.

The drivers would like a break,

but Diajay and Seeko have to inspect their lorries.

They know that some things need repairing.

(vehicle honking)

(people chatting in foreign language)

Abdulai has also arrived in Diondiori with his minibus.

He helps the passengers get out.

Happy customers are important to him.

He hopes that his guests value his helpfulness

and friendly manner and will travel with him again.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(motorbike engine rumbling)

(vehicle honking)

The Diondiori market is right on the River Niger.

In the dry season it can only be reached over land.

Since there are no shops in most of the villages,

people have to go to the markets.

It's one of the few opportunities to do business

and get the necessary supplies.

(hammer thudding)

(sheep bleating)

Diajay and Seeko's apprentices only fix things they

have a knack for.

Usually, that's the small stuff,

screws that have got loose from vibration,

or the bonnet that won't close.

Since the lorries are old,

something always needs fixing.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(metal clanging)

When you've been driving for a week,

you need to check the entire car.

We were supposed to rest today

but if we did it wouldn't be good.

We need to check the car.

What happened on the trip?

Where did something get torn off?

What's come loose?

We need to maintain it all the time.

(people speaking in foreign language)

On the last trip there was a problem

with the starter.

Diajay suspects that there's an issue with the alternator.

Together with his apprentice he goes to a garage

on the edge of the market to have it checked.

Only larger villages have mechanics.

If Diajay's lorry breaks down in the bush,

he's out on his own.

(vehicle revving)

(people speaking in foreign language)

Diajay knows his lorry's kinks

and glitches very well.

Before he goes out on the dirt track again tomorrow,

he wants to make sure that his truck is in a good state.

(motorbike engine idling)

(upbeat African instrumental music)

(birds chirping)

The market finishes in the early evening.

People are going home.

The wind blowing the dust across the savanna has died down.

Temperatures will cool off overnight,

but only for a few hours.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

(people swimming festively)

Diajay has taken some customers and their goods

to a remote village before sunrise.

He's traveling in the land of the Pearl,

a tribe of cattle farmers

who live as nomads all over Western Africa.

(cattle bellowing)

The Pearl roam the savanna with their cattle,

always looking for food for their animals.

(cows mooing)

Except for animals and a few shepherds,

Diajay meets no one.

If his truck breaks down now he will be alone

with his apprentice,

a helper and a few passengers.

There's no mobile reception for getting help.

It's an eerie emptiness.

(Diajay speaking in foreign language)

There are no mechanics, no garages,

no spare parts depots along the way.

If we break down we need to fix it ourselves.

Sometimes there are highwaymen and that can be scary.

It's happened to me twice.

They made people get off the car

and had to lie down on the ground.

They searched their pockets and took off.

They let everyone go on.

They didn't kill anyone.

They didn't even shoot their guns.

They just shoot the air,

threaten you, take your money and disappear again.

(truck rumbling)

(horse neighing)

(horse huffing)

(metal on truck clanging)

Today, bandits are not the problem.

Diajay feels that something is wrong

with the truck's chassis.

(tires crunching on gravel)

(truck rumbling)

(Diajay speaking in foreign language)

He calls his apprentice to check what's wrong.

(truck rumbling)

(breaks squeaking)

(Diajay speaking in foreign language)

I'll get off.

(truck door banging)

Move the prop shaft a bit.

Oh, just shake it a bit and check it.

Look at the back.

Twist the prop shaft to and for.

(truck rumbling)

(people speaking in foreign language)

In the center, check the center.

What's it like, still working?

If it's still okay, that's fine.

We'll change the ball bearings when we get there.

(truck rumbling)

Do we continue? We're off?

Although his apprentice didn't find anything,

Diajay wants to be on the safe side.

He prefers to trust his instincts and experience,

instead of assuming that the ball bearings

of the prop shaft will hold out.

(Diajay speaking in foreign language)

Not two weeks go by without us having

to weld something.

These trucks are old.

We weld something on every trip.

You set off and something breaks and you need

to change the spring.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

Diajay and Seeko drive

a legendary French vehicle,

a Beliet lorry.

Even though production stopped over 30 years ago,

Seeko can't think of a better lorry for the desert

and the savanna.

(truck rumbling)

This Beliet is my fifth one, the fifth.

We never sold any of them.

We drive them until they break down.

Only when they don't work anymore we'll buy a new one.

The broken lorries are spare part stocks for this one.

One of the broken ones is our pharmacy.

If anything is missing here we'll take it out

of there and put it in here.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

(truck rumbling)

(truck breaks squeaking) (motorbike engine rumbling)

(people speaking in foreign language)

Back in town,

Diajay wants to get replacement ball bearings

for his prop shaft.

Since there is no supplier for parts like that,

he checks one of Seeko's old Beliet lorries.

It was left on the edge of a square.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(birds chirping)

Diajay and his apprentice check

if the ball bearings really are better

than the ones in his truck.

The men are skeptical.

Diajay prefers to buy new ones.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(motorbike rumbles to a start)

Diajay would never take his truck to the next bigger town

where there is a spare parts depot.

He would be gone for days and his losses would be enormous.

That's why he asks Abdulai.

(people speaking in foreign language)

The center ball bearing is no good.

We checked it and it's unusable.

When you go to Djenne can you get me one?

No problem, I can bring you on.

Will you make it to Massina?

We'll make it to Massina.

When I go to Djenne I'll look

for one for you.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(donkey hee-hawing)

Once a week is cleaning day.

The lorries should shine in their old glory.

It's a task for Diajay's apprentice.

(metal clanging)

We wash the engine so it can recover.

When there's a lot of dirt on it,

it gets hot.

That's why we remove the oil and everything,

then it won't get so hot.

And it can also happen that the engine is covered

in dirt and then a screw falls off somewhere

and you can't even see it because of all the dirt.

You see nothing.

The water from the River Niger inspires the men

to clean especially thoroughly, and also,

because the whole process is a refreshment for them.

Oh man, that part is a disaster.

Couldn't be any worse.

Look, (indistinct),

you start before sunrise and drive until four o'clock

in the afternoon.

If there was a road with tarmac to Tenenkou,

we'd need no more than two hours.

Yes, no more than two hours.

Before the trip can continue,

a flat tire needs changing.

Are you done?

Let's go, it's okay like this.

Put it in.

If the nuts don't do in easily, leave them.

Your pettiness bothers me.

You always keep a sharp eye on me.

Do your job and let me do mine.

You're making me nervous here.

(truck rumbling)

It's late before the lorries can leave.

For the drivers it's not a problem.

They can camp anywhere,

but first, they have to take their passengers home.

(ominous African instrumental music)

(people speaking in foreign language)

(truck rattling)

The advantage of driving at night is

that the air cools down.

Besides, the lorries can go faster.

In the beam of their headlights they can make out potholes

and ditches more easily.

(truck rumbling)

(ominous African instrumental music)

(people speaking in foreign language)

Seeko, Diajay and Abdulai have made camp

in the middle of the savanna with their colleagues.

They feel at home here and enjoy their trucker lives.

It's been a long day, they're hungry.

It will be a quick meal.

(people speaking in foreign language)

The men talk about their vehicles,

the state of the dirt tracks and the weather.

During the dry season they are on the road day and night,

even at the weekend.

In those seven months they earn the money

for the entire year.

A few hours of sleep and they start again.

(eagle screeching)

Early in the morning it's already getting hot again.

It hasn't rained in months.

(truck rumbling)

(birds chirping)

(metal clanging)

(eagle screeching)

(crickets chirping)

Lots of villages in the savanna are far away

from the important transport routes.

For those people it's a blessing to have a lorry come

to them once a week.

This way they can shop at the far away market.

(Seeko speaking in foreign language)

Seeko personally makes sure that every passenger pays up.

The fair is equivalent to about 50 cents,

not a lot for the almost hour-long trip.

But for people who have very little,

it's a lot of money.

Seeko will take anyone who wants to come along.

There is no maximum number of people

who can find space on the truck.

(truck rumbling)

The people wouldn't get

to the market without the lorry.

Seeko is proud of the fact that he is indispensable

for the inhabitants of the region.

(Seeko speaking in foreign language)

And as far as the roads are concerned,

my father built himself a reputation in his day,

then I came along and thank God was able

to build up a reputation too.

My father's car,

where it didn't go,

no market could develop and I'm the same.

Where I can't go,

no other car can go.

There won't be a market.

I've really made my mark.

(ominous African instrumental music)

(truck rumbling)

(metal rattling on truck)

(people speaking in foreign language)

(metal rattling on truck)

(people speaking in foreign language)

The donkey cart means

that the market is not far now.

For most people market days are the only distraction

in the everyday drabness.

What people in other places take for granted,

like shopping and selling the bare necessities,

becomes a major exertion and fight for survival

in Mali's savanna.

People have to travel for an entire day

to get a few tomatoes, fruit,

some noodles, the occasional piece of meat

and a bar of soap.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(metal rattling on truck)

(people speaking in foreign language)

The road means great discomfort

for anyone on such a trip around here.

The road's not good.

The way people get on the truck,

we'll be standing on our feet from one place to the next.

It's great agony.

Your legs don't get any relief,

that's what makes it so hard.

(truck rumbling)

Abdulai sets out to cross the Niger.

At this time of year the river is a mere stream compared

with its size after the rainy season.

In some places then it gets so broad,

you can't see the other side.

(Abdulai speaking in foreign language)

Abdulai wants to get the ball bearing

for Diajay's lorry in Djenne.

The town is 150 kilometers away.

The Niger is like a border.

On the other side of the river the vegetation is lusher

and the roads are paved.

(vehicle honking)

(taxi rattling)

(upbeat African instrumental music)

Driving a taxi is no dream job for Abdulai.

He does it to feed his family.

(Abdulai speaking in foreign language)

I'm the oldest

and have three younger brothers.

They put all their hopes in me, Abdulai.

If someone gets ill I step up.

If someone needs something I step up.

That's why I came to Tenenkou to work.

I've never seen anyone from the town who goes

to work in the village or bush.

If they see me here driving in the bushland,

I'll be poorly off.

(taxi rattling)

(vehicle honking)

(taxi humming by)

The tarmacked roads

of the bigger towns tempt people to drive faster,

so accidents happen.

A lorry loaded with tons of corn wanted

to overtake another truck and spun out of control.

Since there was little traffic at night,

there wasn't a pileup.

The drivers were lucky.

They got off with minor injuries.

(vehicles rumbling)

(vehicle honking)

(crane rumbling)

(truck rattling)

Abdulai has reached Djenne with its marvelous clay mosque.

In the town center,

right on the main square,

he knows of a trader who stocks spare parts

for Beliet lorries.

(people speaking in foreign language)

(motorbike engine rumbling)

I need a ball bearing.

What kind of ball bearing?

One for our Beliet lorry.

This is a ball bearing for the center.

How much is it?

Give me 5,000 for it.

Big brother, 5,000's a lot for that.

Times are tough around here.

I think 5,000's a good price.

Let's not ramble on.

Let's agree on 4,000 now.

No, my deer man.

Give it to me for 4,000.

You know we don't make much money with our old vehicles.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

(people speaking in foreign language)

(vehicle honking)

On the other side of the Niger

in the Massina region Seeko

and his lorry arrive at the market.

His passengers have survived

the journey pretty shaken, but unscathed.

They have only a few hours to look around

and do business before they go back.

Most of them know each other

as they regularly take the lorry to the markets.

But as they belong to different peoples

who live in this area,

they often don't speak the same language.

(people speaking in foreign languages)

Seeko is warmly welcomed by the village elders.

They have known him since he was a boy

and used to accompany his father here.

Along the Niger there are always markets.

Big cattle markets are rather rare.

From far away,

as far as the Sahara and neighboring countries,

Mauritania and Niger,

come the capital traders.

Often they traveled for days and weeks

to sell their livestock.

The chances to do business are good

because the Pearl liked to buy cattle,

sheep and goats to restock their herds and flocks.

(people speaking in foreign language)

Seeko, Diajay and their apprentices and helpers

are sitting in the shadow of the lorries,

waiting for the market to end.

They are resting before the next trip.

They're a community which sticks together.

(people speaking in foreign language)

For example, in the rainy season

a car can get stuck,

then it's easier when several people travel together.

Also, when one of them breaks down many people can help out.

When the car doesn't start you can help each other out

and when something else breaks down you get together

and fix it together.

(truck rumbling)

The radiator is leaking.

On the way back from Djenne,

Abdulai has problems with his minibus.

(welding hissing)

The mechanic fixes the leak temporarily.

If Abdulai wants to get to the agreed meeting point

with Diajay in time he has to hurry.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

(taxi rattling)

(birds chirping)

(people speaking in foreign language)

(taxi rumbling)

(door handle clicking)

Abdulai made it just in time before Diajay sets out again.

(people speaking in foreign language)

Here, I got you this.

That's it, that's exactly it.

Thank you, thank you very much.

Thanks for trusting me.

Diajay doesn't have time

to fit the ball bearing,

he's running late already.

He hopes that the prop shaft will last until the next stop.

But first, the passengers need to take their places.

The engine must be running and none

of the passengers must fall off the lorry.

(truck rumbling)

(birds chirping)

The dirt tracks have no beginning and no end.

It's a never ending circulation

between the villages along the dirt tracks for many months.

When the rainy season comes they disappear

until they reappear again,

made by the drivers and their cars.

(truck rumbling)

(Diajay speaking in foreign language)

Oh no, it doesn't get boring.

It's work. It's your livelihood.

So you have to work.

And everyone has their very own work, understood.

Day and night,

it doesn't get boring.

It's our work after all

and our work is this because we love it.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

However well the drivers know the way,

it will always be a trip into the unknown.

(upbeat African instrumental music)

(truck rumbling)