Bullet Mother

Apart from taxis, and exciting back of MOTORBIKE taxis (which I haven't tried yet) public transport in Dodoma is the DALADALA. Same idea as MATATU in Kenya, DOLMUS in Turkey, MARSHRUTKA in Ukraine etc. They have fixed routes, go when they're full (to bursting), pick up and drop off anywhere. Petrol-heads may want to know that they are Toyota Hiaces, or an indistinguishable other Toyota minibus. In fact I estimate that 99% of cars in Tanzania are Toyotas.
Here, the daladalas all start from beside the Jamatini (don't know what that is? I'll tell you sometime) in a seething, jostling, hooting, shouting, banging mass of vehicles, passengers and hustling daladala conductors, on a bare patch of ground beside the main road. Destinations are printed on the front eg JAMATINI NANENANE or JAMATINI CHANG'OMBE. They also all have a name or slogan painted on the windscreen or side, or on the back window. Some are in Swahili - BABU KUBWA = Big Grandad or I suppose - Great-Grandad

which probably refers to the age of the vehicle. Some are just plain nice - JOLLY FRIENDS, GIVE ME 5, BABY QUEEN. Many are inspired by the two main religions here, Christianity and Football. Sometimes it's just the name of the team; LIVERPOOL, BARCELONA, CHELSEA, MANCHESTER UNITED, the most popular. Or a player: poor little LIONEL MESSI runs continuously the 6 km to Mipango and back. God and Jesus fuel a fair few daladalas: POWER OF GOD etc. I thought one was brilliantly called THE SPIRITUAL RATTLE till I saw that the B had been partly rubbed off: SPIRITUAL BATTLE - slightly disconcerting, as are PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD, FORGIVE AND FORGET and PRECIOUS BLOOD. As my friend Shaun said, Blood and Public Transport should be a forbidden combination. THE WAY IT IS and I'M SORRY are at least honest and SHOW ME THE WAY disarmingly so. But my favourite is BULLET MOTHER. One last one: ALONE IS BETTER THAN WITH BAD FRIENDS. I'm not so sure. I'd be more than happy to see some of my bad friends if they fancy a trip to Dodoma.