Lada Boys (2022-)

 

Lada Boys is an ongoing story that follows the lives of the iconic blue cab drivers reminiscent of Addis Ababa’s first widespread taxi service network. Early 2020, the Ethiopian government sent a nationwide alert to all taxi providers that by mid 2021, all blue cabs (Ladas) would be banned and eventually, the drivers would need to transition to the new system of transportation links. This decree has caused a stir amongst drivers who do not have the means to transition and others that believe they should not have to assimilate so long as they have a functioning vehicle. Work is sparse, the iconic and often envied blueprint is fading and the drivers themselves are forgotten in a blur of new car fumes and the roaring engine of the sharing market economy. What befalls them? What’s to come? And how will we remember this era when the blues fade?