Two by Two
HAKUNA SHIDA!
No Problem at All! ⬗ 30th September, 2026
While we lived in Mchinga, we attended the local church. Actually Mchinga consisted of two separate villages: Mchinga Mmoja by the main road from Dar Es Salaam to Lindi, and Mchinga Mbili by the Indian Ocean. The two villages were two kilometres apart with a river inbetween. At low tide the water was shallow and you could wade through. At high tide you to needed to take a logboat. That was shaky and not free. No surprise people preferred a lift whenever there was a chance.
One Sunday at church I was asked to give the kids a ride back home to Mchinga Mbili. When I got to my car, all of them were already there, waiting for me. Oh God! My car was a five-seater! I tried to explain that I could only take four of them. In vain! They all wanted to have a lift.
I went inside again for help. I met Justina, a colleague, and I asked her to sort out things and choose who should come.
When we returned, all of them were already in the car! "Then I might as well go," I muttered, climbed into the driver's seat and set off. The road was five kilometres longer than the footpath. I had to go slow because it was full of bumps and stones. The children loved it - the shaking, the rolling and the mzungu-car. Their chitter-chatter filled the space. And yet, I felt slightly on the edge, hoping it would all turn out well — no accident, no police, or so.
We reached the village and the oldest announced, "Tunashuka hapa. — We get off here." I stopped my car and got out to make way for them to get off. I counted: one, two, three... ten, eleven, twelve! Heavens — how had they all fit in this tiny car? I got back in and went on. After a moment I heard a voice, "Usimame kule pale! Naishi hapo. — Please stop over there. That’s where I live." I turned around. Another girl was on the back seat! Thirteen kids, plus the driver — the whole shebang in this car?! If I hadn't seen it, I hadn't believed it.
The children saw no problem, I only saw the impossible.
Alexander Breitenbach