Eman Ali, Piki Piki Paradise, installation view, Lagos Biennial 2019.
Born London, United Kingdom (1986), lives and works between Manama, Bahrain and Muscat, Oman
Piki Piki Paradise 2019
6 inkjet prints
Courtesy of the artist
This series of portraits captures the personalities of piki piki (motorcycle taxis) drivers in Lamu Old Town, Kenya. This initiative, premised on the drivers’ hope for financial independence and ownership of their future, poses a threat to the very traditional roots of this ancient Swahili town. The masculine style of the biker boy community signifies a kind of cool bravado, with the motorbike helping to contribute to the bad boy archetype. The pride and enthusiasm bikers feel in the roughness, intimidation and fierce acceleration of their motorbikes symbolises the masculine assertiveness and the rebellious camaraderie of their style of social interaction. Without this sense of self-empowerment and belonging, many would revert to a life of crime and drugs. However, the expansion and prominent presence of the locals operating this business in the Old Town, could as a consequence, lead to the delisting of the town as a UNESCO heritage site. In an island paradise like Lamu, how does one reconcile tradition and modernity?
