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There is one particular aspect of life in Addis
Abeba that can irritate one beyond measure. The
plight of the human street sweepers is enough to
make one's ears turn red and begin steaming as seen
in cartoons. Justifications for the anger towards
this particular aspect of being a resident of the
capital can easily be shattered, standing on no firm
ground, whatsoever.
Regardless of any awareness of this fact, resentment
just will not go away. The very sight and constant
existence of these women just goes to fuel it and
brings no relief to the rage whatsoever.
Being all for gainful employment; the idea that
these women are out there working for their money in
an honest way is a good thing. The services that
they provide are also necessary for the capital and
the millions of people that use its streets
everyday. But the truth remains that what they do
and the fact that they still have to do it in the
21st Century is perhaps one of the biggest ironies
of life in Ethiopia.
Whether one is a pedestrian, a public transportation
system patron, or a driver, one cannot help but
notice the women in the streets that are out in the
morning sweeping the dust in the left and right
lanes of the major roads across the capital.
Funnily, it seems as though the centre lane never
gets dirty as they never have to sweep it. They
carry with them brooms made of wood and soft bamboo
and large trash cans sitting on carts with wheels.
Luckily for all the drivers out there, these cans
are strategically placed in the lane where the woman
who is sweeping the area is working. Forget the
hindrance to traffic that this causes in an already
disgustingly congested city and consider for a
fraction of a minute the risk to these women's lives
when they are standing sweeping streets on 80km per
hour highways.
Being subjected to fumes from vehicles spewing black
smoke, playing double-dutch with the unsafe drivers
in the city that are not aware that the white and
yellow lines on the asphalt are there for a reason,
and sweeping dust and debris do not make for safe
and healthy working conditions. More than that, they
are more a nuisance on the streets than they are
anything else. Who has ever seen the streets of the
capital sparkling clean?
What in the world are they still doing there?
To put this in a more reasonable perspective, let us
assume that the Addis Abeba City Administration or
whatever department roads and their hygiene falls
under, employs 10,000 women to do the "fantastic"
cleaning job that they do all across the city. That
is the number of people on the city's payroll with
that many pensions to worry about, all covered by
citizens' taxes.
Also, take into consideration the hazardous working
conditions, the environmentally unfriendly
instruments that are used, and the hazards that
these women face on the streets (not to mention the
scarecrow look that they have all opted for as their
work uniforms).
The funny thing is, all this can be easily handled
by three or four sweeper trucks that can be leased
for the same amount that the employer would pay
these employees in one fiscal quarter. The sweepers
could work around traffic hours, require fewer
employees, and would probably be more economical and
efficient in the long run. If taxpayers can afford
to have a network of security cameras in the
capital, affording an investment in mechanical
street sweepers should not be a problem, either.
One could, of course, argue that the implementation
of this suggestion would remove these women from
gainful employment. On the contrary, if the body
responsible for paying their salaries insists on
retaining a bloated and essentially dysfunctional
workforce, then they can put their services to
better use. They can deploy these women across the
many state and city run buildings and institutions
that are badly in need of good scrub downs.
Since these women have shown us that they are not
able to keep the streets shiny and clean, it is only
appropriate that their skills be tested in a closed
environment. It would also be less risky for their
health, seeing as they would no longer have to be
dodging speeding cars to try to sweep dust with the
wind whipping it all around them. The change in the
location and nature of occupation for these women
would be most beneficial to the millions of users of
public spaces that will no longer be subject to
crusty walls and stench filled corners.
The justifications to give, for the above rant and
the women who sweep the streets of the capital, may
in no way have any substance, whatsoever. That is
not enough to keep one from expressing outrage at
their existence. What this angry mind considers is a
possible alternative to their scarecrow images and
the possiblity of one more pothole avoided on the
streets of our chaotic capital. The heart beats at
the very thought of it all. |
