‘Africans going Dutch’: Part Twenty-Three – Cars = rich?

In Burundi, having a car is a sign of success – mostly because most people don’t have enough money for one. People use public transport or walk whenever they go to work, shop or visit friends. But as soon as it’s financially possible, Burundians are usually quick to buy a car.
Some years ago I was visiting Burundi and was talking with a man about an old mutual friend who worked as a trader. I asked if there was news about him. The man told me that he was getting rich. I asked him how he knew this and he answered: ’’Because he has a car.’’
If you do well in Burundi you have a car. It’s that simple. If you are doing really well, then that car is a Mercedes, BMW or Audi. And I assume most Africans have the same attitude. Our main goal in life is to drive a Mercedes Benz. And even when we don’t really need a car, if we have the money we buy one anyway.
So I was very surprised when, soon after arriving in Holland, I met a met a man of around 60 years who told me that he had lots of money, but had no car. He only drove his bike or used public transport.
I cannot confirm if all the Dutch are this way, but I think most first think about if they actually need a car and not about showing off that they have a lot of money. Even those who have a car only use it when it is necessary. This is a very pragmatic attitude. Indeed, a car can be very useful for work or family. But in many cases, public transport can be enough.
One of my favourite things about Holland are all the special walking and biking paths – I had never seen anything like it before. But now I suspect it’s because there are very rich and powerful people living here who don’t own a car.
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