Loading Up The Chukudu

The Chukudu is an interesting little vehicle that is only used in the eastern side of the Congo. You can see all manner of cargo being transported by chukudu, and it seemed to be one of the most prevalent forms of transportation aside from walking. It's basically a simple wooden vehicle, with wooden wheels that are sometimes wrapped in rubber. Some of the wheels I saw without rubber seemed like giant gear cogs, which is perhaps more practical for the poor state of lava-rock roads in Goma.

While they're meant for the driver to have one knee on the frame while powering the vehicle Flintstones-style with their other leg, as is the case everywhere in the developing world, they are often far overloaded beyond capacity. In that case, you might see one or even two people pushing the vehicle forward from the handlebars, leaving absolutely nothing to envy.

The chukudu is so prominent, that there is even a monument built in its honor in Goma! Fun fact, the vehicle is named after the chu-ku-du noise it makes as its wheel roll over the rocky roads unfit for normal, motorized vehicles. In 2009, Congolese President Joseph Kabila even had a monument made in its honor.