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We were packed in. About 20 people in the public van for a fare of 100 Rwandan francs. Up front, the driver concentrated on the hilly road while another man sat slumped over.
"What's he doing?" we asked Martin, a Rwandan man who accompanied us.
"Holding together the wires that keep on the headlights," he replied. "The driver has to see the road."
Makes sense. Driving this rugged road on the edge of Lake Kivu late at night with no headlights could be dangerous.
More than that, the man with the unlucky task of sitting hunched over for the bumpy, 45-minute ride told an interesting story about life in Africa.
He held the wire because the high cost of importing the part made fixing it impossible. He was being jostled because most African roads aren't paved – the debt-ridden government has little money to invest in infrastructure.
They say you shouldn't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. More poignantly, maybe it's driven a mile in his car.
Driving culture says a lot about a country. In North America, as we re-evaluate our driving habits amid surging gas prices, we might learn a lot about ourselves.
One thing cars reveal is a period of change. Nowhere is this truer than in India. By 2025, India's middle class is expected to number 583 million people – about 41 per cent of the population. This is a major change for India; in 1985, 90 per cent of its population lived on less than a dollar a day.
With the emergence of a middle class comes production of affordable automobiles. In January, the Tata Group introduced the Nano, a tiny, four-door vehicle priced at a mere $2,300.
The Nano may change the face of driving in India and around the world. The car symbolizes a new era of growth for India, but it could be devastating for the environment. India is used to more environmentally friendly bicycles and motorcycles. The low-priced car could lead to increased pollution linked to mass motorization.
Japanese cars tell a different story. Compact and colourful, they are also more efficient. The word kirei in Japanese means both beautiful and clean, implying that the two words have a close connection in that culture. It's no surprise that the cars should be any different.
Driving culture can reveal a history. In Cuba, about 60,000 pre-1960 American cars cruise the streets of Havana. The cars have more rust than paint but the fins and chrome finish are icons of their era. Be it a '54 Eldorado or '57 Chevy, these cars are symbols of pre-revolutionary American influence and nearly 50 years of embargo.
So what do North American cars say about us?
With gas prices rising and more environmental awareness, we are moving away from the era of SUVs – possibly the greatest symbol of excess and materialism.
Slowly, we're finding out bigger isn't necessarily better – for the environment, our credit card bill and our image.
Already, Detroit's auto giants are struggling to rebrand themselves as eco-friendly firms to regain their foothold in a market more concerned with the environment and an uncertain economy.
As U.S. auto makers retool and rebrand their image, maybe we can rebrand our own – from a driving culture led by consumerism to one centred on necessity and respect for the environment.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are children's rights activists. They raise global issues Monday in World & Comment and online at thestar.com/globalvoices.
