Becoming a Bicycle/Motorcycle Taxi Driver in Burundi: Construction of an Identity and Claiming a Social Space

The demographic growth in most African countries leads to the development of spontaneous peripheral settlements, which must be connected to urban centers to meet various needs. This link requires means and infrastructures that are not necessarily in place. Under these conditions, many African urban centers are characterized by the emergence of several somewhat improvised professions, such as bicycle and motorcycle taxi drivers, to meet the transport needs of the inhabitants of the urban peripheries. This article aims to describe the general context in which bicycle/motorcycle taxis emerged as a remunerated mode of transport. It also aims to show how the bicycle/motorcycle taxi driver manages to build his identity and conquer a work space in a social environment that is not always favorable to him.