Watch: The Ugandan artisan rolling with nature

euronews (in English)

Kasoma Noordin is the visionary behind Boogaali Bikes, an eco-friendly organisation crafting bicycle frames out of bamboo.

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 It's a piece of art.

00:05 It's not only a beautiful piece of art,

00:07 but a bicycle designed specifically

00:10 to meet the size and interest of the rider

00:14 is something that's amazing.

00:17 When you look at bamboo, you can make a lot of products

00:21 out of bamboo.

00:22 Bamboo has almost 101 products that you can make out of it.

00:27 When you're riding, bamboo is flexible.

00:30 You don't feel the bumps like when you're

00:33 riding the ordinary steel bikes.

00:36 Most people who buy our bikes, those people

00:39 really love something artistic.

00:41 They love something natural and environmentally friendly,

00:45 something from a small country like Uganda.

00:48 When I ride on the streets, it attracts people

00:53 to see what kind of bicycle is this.

00:56 And then when you inform them the frame is made out of bamboo,

00:59 they're just amazed.

01:01 My name is Kasoma Nordin Mochiri,

01:04 and I'm the founder of Bogali Bikes.

01:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:09 At Bogali, we build bicycle frames out of bamboo,

01:23 raw material, and back cloth.

01:25 Professionally, I'm an electrician.

01:27 I did cycling as a sport as well.

01:34 I had the idea of connecting the bicycle

01:36 and the environment, thus reducing

01:38 all the carbon footprints.

01:41 I chose bamboo because bamboo is a renewable material,

01:45 and it's a strong one.

01:47 It has been tested for strength and fatigue,

01:51 passes all the tests.

01:53 We harvest the bamboo after four to five years.

01:56 That's when it's mature enough.

01:58 So in that period of time, the bamboo

02:00 will have consumed a lot of carbon dioxide

02:03 from the atmosphere.

02:04 So when the bamboo is mature, we build the bikes,

02:08 let our communities ride bicycles more than using

02:11 motorbikes and vehicles.

02:14 Then we shall have reduced on the carbon

02:15 footprints of our communities.

02:18 So bamboo does the job very well.

02:22 Bogali is a combination of two words.

02:25 The last three letters from the word bamboo,

02:28 and then the local Uganda name for the bicycle,

02:30 which is a gali.

02:31 So we make Bogali from those two words.

02:34 At 65, you need to keep your body going.

02:43 One of the things I do as part of my working out and keeping

02:47 fit is riding.

02:52 What I like about my bicycle, it's light and very

02:55 comfortable to ride.

02:59 Many times when you go to buy bicycles,

03:01 you buy whatever you find on the market.

03:04 But with this one, it is specifically designed for you

03:08 as the individual.

03:09 Making a bicycle frame from start to finish

03:20 takes 10 to 15 days.

03:23 We always measure the bamboo diameters.

03:26 Some bamboo grows very huge, and the wall thicknesses

03:29 are very big.

03:31 And some of them are too thin that they are weak and fragile.

03:34 I came up with the idea of using the back cloth as a natural

03:41 fiber to wrap the joints with epoxy resin

03:45 so that the joints are really strong enough.

03:48 The back cloth is a cultural and ancient cloth

03:52 in central Uganda.

03:53 We tested the back cloth for strength.

04:01 The results were good.

04:03 It's important to preserve culture in my work.

04:07 Every bike that we build, we have a Uganda flag

04:15 and the word "hand-built" in Uganda.

04:17 People want something different and something from Africa.

04:23 These bicycles, it has helped us.

04:33 It acts as our transport.

04:35 It's what we use when we are going to give out

04:39 these services at hospitals.

04:42 Providing items like soap, jerry, pampers,

04:48 toilet paper, baby soil.

04:51 We normally give it to the pregnant mothers.

04:54 These bicycles, they are strong.

04:57 We go to some areas, and it helps us

05:01 to reach these people in time.

05:03 There are many people who need our help.

05:06 Our bamboo bicycle frames cost $500.

05:10 And $100 goes back to the support of the caregivers,

05:14 the pediatric ward, and the maternity ward

05:17 at the Kavarevi General Fare Hospital.

05:19 Those are people who feel that we are buying a bicycle frame

05:22 for a cause.

05:23 We are helping someone, somewhere.

05:27 Today, the bamboo industry is growing.

05:30 And many people have started to realize the benefits of bamboo.

05:34 We are thinking of putting up an academy

05:39 where people will come and learn skills on bicycles.

05:42 So they can be employed in bicycle mechanics,

05:44 doing other things on bikes.

05:46 So that's the future we have.

05:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:56 [ Music ]

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