7 ms·

Where in Africa? People just use Uber or alternatives, and it works fine pretty much everywhere I've been (I'm Kenyan. I've lived in South Africa for extended p

by okal 3y ago

Where in Africa? People just use Uber or alternatives, and it works fine pretty much everywhere I've been (I'm Kenyan. I've lived in South Africa for extended periods, and travelled extensively in Namibia and Tanzania). I've never once heard of anyone using WhatsApp for cab hailing. It gets pretty exhausting finding people talking about a whole continent on HN in broad strokes as though it's some small town they once went to on holiday, and can now offer their expert opinion on.

defrost 3y ago
As an Australian I sympathise, it's not all HN'rs [1] but there's certainly a strong core of proud ignorance confident in their assertaions about other cultures, countries, political systems, etc. [1] https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_According_to_Americans https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_Accord... PS: I met a guy in Mali once, d'ya know them? [2] /s [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY
- okal 3y ago
  Thanks for the recommendation You may also enjoy Tinariwen, if you haven't already come across them.
  - defrost 3y ago
    Cheers bigtime. Here I was expecting something from Tanzania or Kenya and we're back in Northern Mali! I'm a bit old - I travelled extensively about the globe when I was younger doing geophysicsl survey work and ground truthing the transition from many paper map systems to WGS84. Africa has some fantastic musicians. All I can offer in return is some Australians and their collaborations ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo English x Yolngu Matha x Bemba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 Why not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU
    - okal 3y ago
      Haha! I thought we were just trading desert blues today. Here's some Kenyan fare for you, an odd mix of things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ig9DHit6K8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ig9DHit6K8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or2sMfOcTtw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or2sMfOcTtw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0k0LuJFw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0k0LuJFw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlMw5uOFyaU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlMw5uOFyaU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Jwf-Y1uww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Jwf-Y1uww Tjamuku Ngurra is beautiful. I don't think I've listened to Aboriginal fusion (there's all sorts of interesting things happening there) before. My consumption of Australian music has mostly been limited to Tame Impala, whom I love, but this is special. Thank you so much for sharing.
      - defrost 3y ago
        There's some gorgeous music there, thank-you. Australian music is surprisingly broad for such a small (population wise, physically it's the same land area as mainland USofA (and together the US + Australia are less than the area of Africa ..)) .. "aboriginal fusion" (that works) is also broader than many might imagine. To barely scratch the surface: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqG_LyD9s4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqG_LyD9s4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdpoWcma4HE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdpoWcma4HE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLQ4by3lUJo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLQ4by3lUJo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBAv36KM4rI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBAv36KM4rI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myKF9mxAJ70 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myKF9mxAJ70 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-AgvUEVm4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-AgvUEVm4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XevQAVoBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XevQAVoBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VMcnKM09w0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VMcnKM09w0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqfyHzL0G-o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqfyHzL0G-o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJFfSmnCnY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJFfSmnCnY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWibGemExd0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWibGemExd0 (I can go on forever here) Meanwhile, 'back in Africa' (well, perhaps, out of Adrica) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGomSuDPeSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGomSuDPeSU https://youtu.be/tvY31eN3gtE?t=38 https://youtu.be/tvY31eN3gtE?t=38
pjmlp 3y ago
In 2019 I can assure I was only able to get taxis in Tanzania via Whatsapp. To be honest I never used Uber and never saw a taxi with stickers telling otherwise. Likewise arranging trips with the local tourist agencies.
- okal 3y ago
  That may well be true for your one experience in Tanzania. I wasn't there with you. I have neither a reason, nor the desire to counter your personal experience. Here's what I find baffling. You had a single, curated, extremely limited travel experience, in (I'm guessing) a handful of places, in one country, over a limited time period. You extrapolated from that experience to making a bold, sweeping claim about an odd 1.2 billion people living in 54 countries. And with an air of worldly confidence, to boot. What you said of Africa is not even generally true of the city of Dar es Salaam, let alone all of Tanzania. How could it possibly be true for a whole continent? I'm genuinely in awe of both the audacity it takes to make such a claim, and the thought process that leads to it. I do feel a bit bad for singling you out (but only a little bad) since it's sadly not unusual for people to choose to talk about places in this way when they don't expect to be challenged.
pjlegato 3y ago
If it makes you feel any better, people also do the same sort of inaccurate cultural reductivism about the United States -- a vast geographical area containing many strongly differentiated local regional cultures -- on a daily basis.
- okal 3y ago
  It does, actually Quite unexpectedly, too. I have an American friend who keeps recommending places I should visit in the States, but I always respond by saying I don't want to get shot or racially profiled. It's a source of constant frustration for him. I did not expect HN to be where I'd find empathy for his perspective.

by okal 3y ago

defrost 3y ago

As an Australian I sympathise, it's not all HN'rs [1] but there's certainly a strong core of proud ignorance confident in their assertaions about other cultures, countries, political systems, etc. [1] https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_According_to_Americans https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_Accord... PS: I met a guy in Mali once, d'ya know them? [2] /s [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY

okal 3y ago
Thanks for the recommendation You may also enjoy Tinariwen, if you haven't already come across them.
- defrost 3y ago
  Cheers bigtime. Here I was expecting something from Tanzania or Kenya and we're back in Northern Mali! I'm a bit old - I travelled extensively about the globe when I was younger doing geophysicsl survey work and ground truthing the transition from many paper map systems to WGS84. Africa has some fantastic musicians. All I can offer in return is some Australians and their collaborations ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo English x Yolngu Matha x Bemba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 Why not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU
  - okal 3y ago
    Haha! I thought we were just trading desert blues today. Here's some Kenyan fare for you, an odd mix of things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ig9DHit6K8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ig9DHit6K8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or2sMfOcTtw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or2sMfOcTtw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0k0LuJFw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0k0LuJFw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlMw5uOFyaU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlMw5uOFyaU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Jwf-Y1uww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Jwf-Y1uww Tjamuku Ngurra is beautiful. I don't think I've listened to Aboriginal fusion (there's all sorts of interesting things happening there) before. My consumption of Australian music has mostly been limited to Tame Impala, whom I love, but this is special. Thank you so much for sharing.
    - defrost 3y ago
      There's some gorgeous music there, thank-you. Australian music is surprisingly broad for such a small (population wise, physically it's the same land area as mainland USofA (and together the US + Australia are less than the area of Africa ..)) .. "aboriginal fusion" (that works) is also broader than many might imagine. To barely scratch the surface: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqG_LyD9s4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqG_LyD9s4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdpoWcma4HE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdpoWcma4HE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLQ4by3lUJo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLQ4by3lUJo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBAv36KM4rI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBAv36KM4rI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myKF9mxAJ70 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myKF9mxAJ70 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-AgvUEVm4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-AgvUEVm4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XevQAVoBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XevQAVoBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VMcnKM09w0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VMcnKM09w0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqfyHzL0G-o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqfyHzL0G-o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJFfSmnCnY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJFfSmnCnY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWibGemExd0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWibGemExd0 (I can go on forever here) Meanwhile, 'back in Africa' (well, perhaps, out of Adrica) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGomSuDPeSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGomSuDPeSU https://youtu.be/tvY31eN3gtE?t=38 https://youtu.be/tvY31eN3gtE?t=38

pjmlp 3y ago

In 2019 I can assure I was only able to get taxis in Tanzania via Whatsapp. To be honest I never used Uber and never saw a taxi with stickers telling otherwise. Likewise arranging trips with the local tourist agencies.

okal 3y ago
That may well be true for your one experience in Tanzania. I wasn't there with you. I have neither a reason, nor the desire to counter your personal experience. Here's what I find baffling. You had a single, curated, extremely limited travel experience, in (I'm guessing) a handful of places, in one country, over a limited time period. You extrapolated from that experience to making a bold, sweeping claim about an odd 1.2 billion people living in 54 countries. And with an air of worldly confidence, to boot. What you said of Africa is not even generally true of the city of Dar es Salaam, let alone all of Tanzania. How could it possibly be true for a whole continent? I'm genuinely in awe of both the audacity it takes to make such a claim, and the thought process that leads to it. I do feel a bit bad for singling you out (but only a little bad) since it's sadly not unusual for people to choose to talk about places in this way when they don't expect to be challenged.

pjlegato 3y ago

If it makes you feel any better, people also do the same sort of inaccurate cultural reductivism about the United States -- a vast geographical area containing many strongly differentiated local regional cultures -- on a daily basis.

okal 3y ago
It does, actually Quite unexpectedly, too. I have an American friend who keeps recommending places I should visit in the States, but I always respond by saying I don't want to get shot or racially profiled. It's a source of constant frustration for him. I did not expect HN to be where I'd find empathy for his perspective.