What really happened to the Wueyete Taxi cab?
Its quaint the amount of influence economy plays a role in our daily life. Most of you would say duh, obviously; the more money you have the better you live.
Well I am not talking about the individual existence rather the amount of cultural & traditional influence the economy plays a role in.
These are photos taken by Nolawi “nole” Taddesse on his recent trip to Ethiopia. There is no wueyete taxi anymore. The wueyete is one of those things that were invented in Africa for our basic needs.
There was no abundance of minibuses prior to the 70’s or even most of 80’s except the famous Volkswagen Kombi. The story goes that South Africans and Kenyans are the ones that pioneered the bigger shared taxi phenomenon in Africa.
In South Africa the Minibus Industry was pioneered by black entrepreneurs who provided a shared taxi service that was convenient for residents of outlying townships during the days of apartheid.
It the Kenyans who modified the pickup truck so that they could carry many people in their taxi cabs. I don’t know much about the details of the origins of the wueyete taxi but the name says it all. You sit in the back and talk. Common sense would also tell us that the wueyete brought about the woyala. The diver obviously would not be able to collect the money from the passengers.
When the Minibus Industry grew and the cost of these van like cars decreased, the need for the wueyete taxi decreased and eventually disappeared. As you can see from the photos.
Published by January 29th, 2007 in Current Issues.Send this post to a friend
donchu know mewoyayet kilkil nEw now a days… esp. politics!
no seriously tho they are out there u just have to know where to look … of course you’re not gonna find ‘em in downtown addis
Ohh Emfraz…you reminded me of something…
According to some people…the name of the Wuyeyet taxi came from the Derg requirement to “meweyayet” about politics after the political revolution, Abyot took place. There were requirements to converse at work, at the Kebele we.ze.te..
The taxi allowed for those sitting across from eachother to directly converse (how intimate is it in such close proximity anyhow?)…so there you have it…
the name “Wuyiyit” for our pickup-converted-into-hooded- taxies for Africans/ethiopians….as it becomes a political conference room.
Seems like the woyeyit has been slowly replaced by the mini bus. I saw a total of one woyeyit last year in Addis.
I remember the guys shouting Bole, bole, bole etc… then because they say it so fast bole turns into lebo. so what you hear is lebo, lebo, lebo.
I miss that, man.
Those wuyeiyeits are unforgetable, one nearly amputated my thumb when the Woyala banged the door closed. It happened a decade and a half ago but the memory of the pain is still fresh. I say good ridance.
No way they took my wueyete away.
What? i don’t belive it. What? WHat is Addis without wueyete? My oh my i am shocked at the bad news.
I will miss the singing voices the weyala boys saying Lem hotel, shola, kebena if i visit Ethiopia after almost 15 years now. How will i feel not finding the singing voices of weyala boys calling out my area. Oh no can’t accept it. BRING BACK THE WUEYETE so i will find them when i go back.
LOL! it reminds me of my highschool freind that used to like farting in wyeyetee and stare at people…that was nasty and funny at the same time. And you know how old habesha ladies don’t want the window to be roled down.BIREDEE,DRAFT ENDAYMETAGN MESKOTUNE ZEGA…as if there is a sickness called BIRDEE…
ere the woyala are alive and kickin.. just because the weyeyet are not there don’t mean the woyalas are gone.They still do the same job as they did in the minivans. Moreover, the weyeyets are much older cars compared to the minivans .. that is why you don’t see them . they are old and dead. but still addis has some weyets going around depending on what sefer you go..
yemola beberari yemola
and sew yemola abiot ghion ambasador piasa merkato and sew yemola!
hmm i wonder if people picked the newer cars to go in… as opposed to the one that is almost full…
also its so funny how the woyala’s lie… they start saying yemola… almost full after one person has gone in!
mts
I heard the woyalas and beggers have mobiles nowadays now. Do you know if it true? or they are pulling my leg
Tadiya min yidenkal,the beggers do miscall and say ‘sele gebriel’
who said there are no wuyeyets? ere moltoal for example if you need a ride from arat kiloto bole most of the taxis available are wuyeyets, in markato too.
There are still some wuyeyets, but because they are now old, most stick to the ket yale menged, few hills. Importing cars is still a very expensive endeavor in Ethiopia so I don’t think it is a supply side thing. But on the demand side as these cars get older, few people want to use them opting for more comfortable minibuses and wuyeyet owners just find it easier to have them work outside of Addis (where there are fewer minibuses competing) and on lines where owners of the newer minibus’s won’t send their cars.
I had also heard of a phaseout plan by the munucipality in Addis, though I am not sure if this entirely true.
This is actually an interesting topic … made me think about the queue controls – just one of the things that keep wuyeyets alive (they don’t have to compete as much in lines that have queues, they just need to be there in queue waitng their turn).
I second temari!
But they are no more wueyete, but TefaTeT taxis.
MEMORIES….
BGFelasfit,
Ye addisans humour!!!
The name Woeyeyet was made up by the ever clever Addisans because of the siting arrangements. No government requirements. Like remember those big ‘african’ bags that were in style in the 80′s were called BADRIM BALADRIM ! You walk around with all your kotet ke bet wouTch bitadrim batadrim
You are so right lilye, endewume if there was any requirements from the Govt, its not to talk politics! in my opinion!
[quote comment="14981"]Tadiya min yidenkal,the beggers do miscall and say ‘sele gebriel’[/quote]
lol, love the sarcasm……….good one!
from recent experience their are still some woeyete left here and there. Like most people, if I have to choose I would choose the mini bus over the most uncomfortable woyeete. I am glad they are slowly phasing them out.
Recently I came back from Ethiopia and my understanding is that woyeyeta is also called ayen fetete due to the way the sitting is parallel. The other thing they call woyeyeta bayta qoyeng. I still love woyeyeta and still exist in kefle hager like Bahir dar, Gondar and so on .
So you just have to go away from addis.
Maven
coutesy eskinder… who sent us a picture of the woyala and wueyeyet
do you remember meweyayet melkam new ethiopian radio program. wiyeyetoch alu gin sefer yemertalu. ke mexico kirkos, arat kilo bole be kazainchis
When I was in Ethiopia about 6 months ago, I saw many Ethiopians on vacation in Addis from abroad in minivans. They were dressed very provocatively, taking picture with their digital cameras, and talking loudly about how fun it is in English…
I was excited to when took the minivans but I need not think the extra show was necessary…
coca can you be specific? are you talking about taxi minivans?
yea in the minivans….the small one(the Lada’s) are for contract only
Lada Contracts are a misnomer. When they told me a contract , i thought like back in the day .. you would have a specific taxi driver that drops you everywhere and you supposedly have a verbal contract. But now even if you go a mile and take one of those taxis(Contart) better term in amaharic, is you pay more by negotiating prices.. and takes you door to door. except negotiating is a pain in the ass… and depending on the mood of the driver if you neighborhood has too much korokonch or chiqa, forget it they give you a hard time. I know i had so so many arguments with the Contrat taxi drivers.. its an experience
)
I loved the Woyeyets men! you’re totally packed in and the lady next to you have kebe on her hair and you slowly cover your nose trying no to look rude……
I love how there is no concept of personal space in Ethio…imagin having that here….tega tega belu, bota ale…tega tega belu, bezu bota ale….you gotta love it!
What about the term “WO’YA-LA”, where do you think it came from? Anybody had an idea?
HI Bernosoch
BABY U crak me up that wa
s fanyyyy by the way check yemola on oncomedy
Meru
I watched yemola and man, it brought some good times memory back…..thanks
yemola was hilarious, i almost peed on my pants
yemola was hilarious,