Difference between revisions of "Zebu cart"
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| − | '''By sunrise at the Sambirano | + | '''By sunrise at the Sambirano crossing, a small traffic jam is caused by a convoy of zebu carts slowly rolling over the narrow bridge in Ambanja. The drivers of these ox-powered carts started their journey in the dark to reach the central marketplace in the early morning hours.''' |
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It's early morning hours and the drivers of the ox-powered carts would have started in the dark. Just by sunrise at the crossing of the Sambirano bridge, there is rush hour and even a small traffic jam caused by carts slowly rolling across the narrow bridge on their way to the central marketplace to deliver their fresh seasonal crops from the countryside.''' | It's early morning hours and the drivers of the ox-powered carts would have started in the dark. Just by sunrise at the crossing of the Sambirano bridge, there is rush hour and even a small traffic jam caused by carts slowly rolling across the narrow bridge on their way to the central marketplace to deliver their fresh seasonal crops from the countryside.''' | ||
Revision as of 19:32, 17 August 2024
By sunrise at the Sambirano crossing, a small traffic jam is caused by a convoy of zebu carts slowly rolling over the narrow bridge in Ambanja. The drivers of these ox-powered carts started their journey in the dark to reach the central marketplace in the early morning hours.
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Zebu carts, or charettes as they are know. are common in and around Ambanja, the region, and across much of Madagascar.
Dozens of workshops in Ambanja produce zebu carts. One such workshop in the town centre is run by Mr Theodore, who with his team of six skilled carpenters builds and assembles about 50 carts per year, all manually crafted without the use of electrical power tools.
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The design and model are always the same: A simple two-wheeler which easily attaches to one or more zebus. A cart takes about one week to make and costs 1,800,000 (USD 400).
The charettes remain as practical and relevant as they were hundreds of years ago in providing transport to farmers in distributing their seasonal harvests to marketplaces.
The innumerable farmers maintaining the tradition of these vehicles deserve a environmental award for their collective achievement in keeping their carbon footprints close to zero.
Additional information
View more Zebu cart photos
