World’s Most Dangerous Roads | Mali | Free Documentary

[Music] in the heart of west africa people drive on roads which don't deserve to be called that [Music] they are dusty dirt tracks which don't appear on any maps they can only be traveled on with great effort and during a few months of the year risk is a passenger on every trip [Music] [Music] in mali's bushland in the savannah of this west african country there are a few fully developed roads the dirt tracks seem to make erratic lines on the patched planes most people here don't own a car minibuses pickups and lorries commute between the villages on market days there is intense activity many traders and customers are on the road since the dirt tracks are unpredictable and the vehicles are in bad shape each trip becomes an adventure in the past few years abdullah donbelle has been driving for a transport entrepreneur he's a focused driver because no one is immune to unwanted surprises on the dusty dirt tracks abdullahi knows many of his passengers in order to keep them happy he talks to them he wants them to feel that they are in safe hands accidents happen all the time here there are so many bends in our roads god has blessed me with luck since i've been working i've not had an accident yet but cars keep tipping over the roads are in bad condition not a month goes by when you don't hear of a car having tipped over the drivers who are not from here they just go too fast and merchants they travel from market to market to sell their goods they only take the minibus in the dry periods when the rains come they travel in boats cars would get bogged down in the modern water we are done for when the water disappears between jafar bay and tenenku then there are a lot of potholes and the dust is awful now it's just torture but that's the way it is whatever work you do you can't run away from it only when god releases you you can get away from it for about seven months between october and may it's dry then it's high season for transports over land as soon as the first rain comes the region turns into one huge sheet of water in central mali in the messina region the river niger one of the mightiest rivers in the world floods large areas the dirt tracks disappear only when the water retreats can the villagers be reached by vehicle again [Music] what is left is sand and dust the dry hot northeast wind from the sahara the hamatan brings even more dust in march and april the temperature source to over 50 degrees it's misty for weeks on end vehicles have trouble picking their way between broken earth and washed out forts it takes time for new dirt tracks to be [Music] created the heat makes people sure tempered an argument between the carriers who are loading up a truck what's it about probably only the one who is most upset knows for sure his co-workers hope that the racket won't last long they prefer to preserve their strength the work is strenuous countless bags of onions dried fish millet spices and mangoes need to be loaded onto the lorries they often weigh 30 40 or more kilos there is hardly anything that isn't taken on be it an individual piece or a mass product it's all a question of price space and goodwill to ensure that the lorries don't tip over the heavy stuff goes at the bottom into the middle if possible siku and daiye knows about the importance of correct loading he and his colleague died jay maiga have been driving their lorry through the savannah half their lives although they are not blood related and each is his own boss they feel like brothers togetherness in the bush and the challenges of the job have forged a bond over the years the roots are dangerous at first it seems easy to drive between the bushes and trees but if you go fast accidents are quick to happen especially around bends traffic has increased there are more mopeds more cars and more donkey carts driven by the villagers if you think i know the way there are no potholes and you drive fast you can easily bump into a cart driver or a moped or you crash into another car next up after the goods are the animals they travel together with their owners to make sure nothing is lost during the trip the load is secured with ropes cords and straps drg and siku are responsible for the transport they have to make good for any loss or damage the passengers are the last to come on board how they get up there is up to them they take their goods on board too so they can always keep an eye on them it takes time for everyone to find their place the people wait in the heat for the departure there are always arguments about who sits where on top of the driver's cab is the most comfortable place hey tell him to fix the water canister the water canister take it off there and fix it here whenever possible drg and siku drive in a convoy that way the drivers can help each other out in the event of an accident or breakdown some late comers arrive who also want to travel the drivers wait for them they depend on every single customer as long as drg and siku don't arrive too late at the next station no one will complain for now everyone is glad that the trucks are finally moving even if there are initial difficulties the passengers are stoic about the fact that the trucks drive too closely to the trees and they get hit by branches if they were going any faster this could cause serious injuries [Music] the trucks struggle through the savannah like swaying ships the land is dusty and dry [Music] strangers would get lost on these trails as there are no signposts showing which dirt track leads where and when siku knows the region like the back of his hand even so he has to concentrate if you have a full load for example and there are people sitting on top of that you have to be careful how you drive because they could be sleepy if they doze off don't hold on and the car tips to one side they could fall off and they could also fall off in bends if you go too fast the passengers who sit on the edge have to make sure the hard spikes of the thorn bushes don't hit them in the face their eyes are smarting and their strength is waning the heat and the dust make you tired but the people watch out for each other after all they're all not in the same boat but on the same truck if you get on and don't hold on properly you fall off that's why we sit close together you have to hold on to someone else who will hold on to another person if there are too many people that's no good why did i get on the truck because the driver is careful also because the road is not good the driver is responsible for me and he's driving slowly [Applause] has stopped his minibus for a break in dia a small village along the dirt track some of the passengers have got off and new ones get on to get to the market it's up to the drivers to make sure they have enough customers there are a lot of minibuses competing and word gets around which car is more comfortable and faster and which vehicle always breaks down careful and responsible driving also matters but above all people who use minibuses as a means of transport are in a hurry it's important for abdullah to arrive safely the paths themselves are packing a punch and he doesn't want to take additional risks by driving carelessly it is normal on the bad pass that there are no petrol stations along the way and they take long you need the entire day just for one way you can't go back and forth twice you can only drive one way in one day because the way it's so difficult [Music] through the cracks dust gets into the minibus it gets into everything including the passenger's paws there is more dust than air to breathe the temperature rises to almost 60 degrees [Music] your skin dries out there's no escape grit your teeth and hold on [Music] people have to put up with great hardship all because of the bad roads the drivers also have problems it's slippery everywhere because they refuse to upgrade the roads if the roads were good many mishaps wouldn't happen but this is part of our work as traders if we didn't have that we wouldn't be travelling here [Music] [Music] in places where hardly anyone travels and vehicles rarely break the savannah's silence with their noise there is hustle and bustle on market days it's rush hour on marley's dirt tracks the roads are full of people and their animals since the dirt tracks are not made for a lot of vehicles dicey situations occur again and again [Music] did you see when he went by us so closely we bent forwards to protect ourselves from the dust that's why we fear the car horse and carts are better we don't like cars they get up to a lot of nonsense we drive very slowly i'm afraid of cars since many buses and trucks started driving on the dirt tracks along with the donkey in horse carts there have been more accidents the different speeds don't go together well the horses are spooked because they're not used to having cars speed past them like lightning they are used to a different pace life in the savannah has a more leisurely rhythm than life in the city for these people a horse and cart is still the most affordable means of transport it doesn't need a petrol station or garage many buses are a threat to this infrastructure there is competition between us absolutely they don't want us to transport people if everyone can make some money that's good but they want to take all our passengers and we're left with nothing that's the way it is the horse and donkey carts are still in the majority the horse and cart approaches diondjori where there's a market day today the passengers on the two trucks have also arrived in dyongyogi after the trip through the bushland the ajay is relieved every time the transport goes smoothly although the villages are not far from each other 20 30 or 50 kilometers at the most traveling through the wasteland is tiring even for seasoned glory drivers as soon as the lorries arrive they are unloaded the market only lasts for a few hours so traders and customers want to make full use of them the drivers would like a break but drg and siku have to inspect their lorries they know that some things need repairing abdullah has also arrived in dionyori with his minibus he helps the passengers get out happy customers are important to him he hopes that his guests value his helpfulness and friendly manner and will travel with him again the dion jury market is right on the river niger in the dry season it can only be reached over land since there are no shops in most of the villages people have to go to the markets it's one of the few opportunities to do business and get the necessary supplies drga and cecu's apprentices only fix things they have a knack for usually that's the small stuff screws that have got loose from vibration or the bonnet that won't close since the lorries are old something always needs fixing when you've been driving for a week you need to check the entire car we were supposed to rest today but if we did it wouldn't be good we need to check the car what happened on the trip where did something get torn off what's come loose we need to maintain it all the time on the last trip there was a problem with the starter drg suspects that there's an issue with the alternator together with his apprentice he goes to a garage on the edge of the market to have it checked only larger villages have mechanics if the edges lorry breaks down in the bush he's out on his own knows his lorries kinks and glitches very well before he goes out on the dirt track again tomorrow he wants to make sure that his truck is in a good state [Music] the market finishes in the early evening people are going home the wind blowing the dust across the savannah has died down temperatures will cool off overnight but only for a few hours [Music] drj has taken some customers and their goods to a remote village before sunrise he's traveling in the land of the pearl the tribe of cattle farmers who livers nomads all over western africa the pearl roamed the savannah with their cattle always looking for food for their animals except for animals and a few shepherds drj meets no one if his truck breaks down now he will be alone with his apprentice a helper and a few passengers there's no mobile reception for getting help it's an eerie emptiness there are no mechanics no garages no spare parts depots along the way if we break down we need to fix it ourselves sometimes there are highwaymen that can be scary it's happened to me twice they made people get off the car and had them lie down on the ground they searched their pockets and took off they let everyone go on they didn't kill anyone they didn't even shoot their guns they just shoot the air threaten you take your money and disappear again today bandits are not the problem tj feels that something is wrong with the truck's chassis he calls his apprentice to check what's wrong [Music] i'll get off move the prop shaft a bit oh just shake it a bit and check it look at the back twist the prop shaft to and throw in the center check the center what's it like still working if it's still okay that's fine we'll change the ball bearings when we get there do we continue we're off although his apprentice didn't find anything dj wants to be on the safe side he prefers to trust his instincts and experience instead of assuming that the ball bearings of the prop shaft will hold out not two weeks go by without us having to weld something these trucks are old we weld something on every trip you set off and something breaks and you need to change the spring [Music] drg and siku drive a legendary french vehicle a bellier lorry even though production stopped over 30 years ago seku can't think of a better lorry for the desert and the savannah [Music] this berlier is my fifth one the fifth we never sold any of them only when they don't work anymore we'll buy a new one the broken lorries are spare part stocks for this one one of the broken ones is our pharmacy if anything is missing here we'll take it out of there and put it in here [Music] back in town diege wants to get replacement ball bearings for his prop shaft since there is no supplier for parts like that he checks one of seku's old belly lorries it was left on the edge of a square dng and his apprentice check if the ball bearings really are better than the ones in his truck the men are skeptical the rj prefers to buy new ones trj would never take his truck to the next bigger town where there is a spare parts depot he would be gone for days and his losses would be enormous that's why he asked abdullahi the center ball bearing is no good we checked it and it's unusable when you go to jenny can you get me one no problem i can bring you one will you make it to messina we'll make it [Music] once a week is cleaning day the lorries should shine in their old glory it's a task for drj's apprentice we wash the engine so it can recover when there is a lot of dirt on it it gets hot that's why we remove the oil and everything then it won't get so hot and it can also happen that the engine is covered in dirt and then a screw falls off somewhere and you can't even see it because of all the dirt you see nothing the water from the river niger inspires the men to clean especially thoroughly and also because the whole process is a refreshment for them oh man that path is a disaster couldn't be any worse you start before sunrise and drive until four o'clock in the afternoon if there was a road with tarmac to tanenko we'd need no more than two hours yes no more than two hours before the trip can continue a flat tire needs changing are you done let's go it's okay like this put it in if the nuts don't go in easily leave them your pettiness bothers me you always keep a sharp eye on me do your job and let me do mine you're making me nervous here [Music] it's late before the lorries can leave for the drivers it's not a problem they can camp anywhere but first they have to take their passengers home [Music] so [Music] [Music] the advantage of driving at night is that the air cools down besides the lorries can go faster in the beam of their headlights they can make out potholes and ditches more easily [Music] have made camp in the middle of the savannah with their colleagues they feel at home here and enjoy their trucker lives it's been a long day they're hungry it'll be a quick meal the men talk about their vehicles the state of the dirt tracks and the weather during the dry season they are on the road day and night even at the weekend in those seven months they earned the money for the entire year a few hours of sleep and they start again in the morning it's already getting hot again it hasn't rained in months lots of villages in the savannah are far away from the important transport routes for those people it's a blessing to have a lorry come to them once a week this way they can shop at the far away market siku personally makes sure that every passenger pays up the fare is equivalent to about 50 cents not a lot for the almost hour-long trip but for people who have very little it's a lot of money siku will take anyone who wants to come along there is no maximum number of people who can find space on the truck the people wouldn't get to the market without the lorry siku is proud of the fact that he is indispensable for the inhabitants of the region as far as the roads are concerned my father built himself a reputation in his day then i came along and thank god was able to build up a reputation too my father's car where he didn't go no market could develop and i'm the same where i can't go no other car can go there won't be a market i've really made my mark [Music] [Music] [Music] the donkey cart means that the market is not far now for most people market days are the only distraction in the everyday drabness what people in other places take for granted like shopping and selling the bare necessities becomes a major exertion and fight for survival in mali savannah people have to travel for an entire day to get a few tomatoes fruit some noodles the occasional piece of meat and a bar of soap the road means great discomfort for anyone on such a trip around here the road's not good the way people get on the truck we're standing on our feet from one place to the next it's great agony your legs don't get any relief that's what makes it so hard abdullahi sets out to cross the niger at this time of year the river is a mere stream compared with its size after the rainy season in some places then it gets so broad you can't see the other side abdullahi wants to get the ball bearing for drg's lorry in geneve the town is 150 kilometers away the nisha is like a border on the other side of the river the vegetation is lusher and the roads are paved [Music] driving a taxi is no dream job for abdullahi he does it to feed his family i'm the oldest and have three younger brothers they put all their hopes in me if someone gets ill i step up if someone needs something i step up that's why i came to tenanco to work i've never seen anyone from the town who goes to work in the village or bush if they see me here driving in the bushland i'll be poorly off the tarmac roads of the bigger towns tempt people to drive faster some accidents happen a lorry loaded with tons of corn wanted to overtake another truck and spun out of control since there was little traffic at night there wasn't a pileup the drivers were lucky they got off with minor injuries abdullahi has reached jenny with its marvellous clay mosque in the town center right on the main square he knows of a trader who stocks spare parts for bellier lorries i need a ball bearing what kind of ball bearing one for our belly lorry this is a ball bearing for the center how much is it give me five thousand for it oh big brother five thousands a lot for that times are tough around here i think 5000 is a good price let's not ramble on let's agree on 4 000 now oh my dear man give it to me for 4 000 you know we don't make much money with our old vehicles [Music] [Music] on the other side of the niger in the masina region siku and his lorry arrive at the market his passengers have survived the journey pretty shaken but unscathed they have only a few hours to look around and do business before they go back most of them know each other as they regularly take the lorry to the markets but as they belong to different peoples who live in this area they often don't speak the same language seiku is warmly welcomed by the village elders they have known him since he was a boy and used to accompany his father here along the niger there are always markets big cattle markets are rather rare from far away as far as the sahara and neighboring countries mauritania and niger come the cattle traders often they travel for days and weeks to sell their livestock the chances to do business are good because the pearl like to buy cattle sheep and goats to restock their herds and flocks siku dear jay and their apprentices and helpers are sitting in the shadow of the lorries waiting for the market to end they're resting before the next trip they're a community which sticks together for example in the rainy season a car can get stuck then it's easier when several people travel together also when one of them breaks down many people can help out when the car doesn't start you can help each other out and when something else breaks down you get together and fix it together the radiator is leaking on the way back from janae abdullah has problems with his minibus a mechanic fixes the leak temporarily if abdullahi wants to get to the agreed meeting point with drj in time he has to hurry abdullahi made it just in time before drj sets out again i got you this that's it that's exactly it thank you thank you very much thanks for trusting me trg doesn't have time to fit the ball bearing he's running late already he hopes that the prop shaft will last until the next stop but first the passengers need to take their places the engine must be running and none of the passengers must fall off the lorry the dirt tracks have no beginning and no end it's a never-ending circulation between the villages along the dirt tracks for many months when the rainy season comes they disappear until they reappear again made by the drivers and their cars oh no it doesn't get boring it's work it's your livelihood so you have to work and everyone has their very own work understood day and night it doesn't get boring it's our work after all and our work is this because we love it however well the drivers know the way it will always be a trip into the unknown [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary

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Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, most dangerous roads, most dangerous journeys, worlds most dangerous roads, worlds most dangerous journeys, deadliest roads, deadliest roads in the world, dicing with death, deadliest journeys, dicing with death mali, most dangerous roads mali, deadliest roads mali, dangerous mali, deadliest journeys mali, hot roads, hot roads mali, mali, west africa

Id: uzC1VCYLPl8

Length: 43min 5sec (2585 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 07 2021