Kasoma Noordin is the visionary behind Boogaali Bikes, an eco-friendly organisation crafting bicycle frames out of bamboo.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 It's a piece of art.
00:05 It's not only a beautiful piece of art,
00:07 but a bicycle designed specifically
00:10 to meet the size and interest of the rider
00:14 is something that's amazing.
00:17 When you look at bamboo, you can make a lot of products
00:21 out of bamboo.
00:22 Bamboo has almost 101 products that you can make out of it.
00:27 When you're riding, bamboo is flexible.
00:30 You don't feel the bumps like when you're
00:33 riding the ordinary steel bikes.
00:36 Most people who buy our bikes, those people
00:39 really love something artistic.
00:41 They love something natural and environmentally friendly,
00:45 something from a small country like Uganda.
00:48 When I ride on the streets, it attracts people
00:53 to see what kind of bicycle is this.
00:56 And then when you inform them the frame is made out of bamboo,
00:59 they're just amazed.
01:01 My name is Kasoma Nordin Mochiri,
01:04 and I'm the founder of Bogali Bikes.
01:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:09 At Bogali, we build bicycle frames out of bamboo,
01:23 raw material, and back cloth.
01:25 Professionally, I'm an electrician.
01:27 I did cycling as a sport as well.
01:34 I had the idea of connecting the bicycle
01:36 and the environment, thus reducing
01:38 all the carbon footprints.
01:41 I chose bamboo because bamboo is a renewable material,
01:45 and it's a strong one.
01:47 It has been tested for strength and fatigue,
01:51 passes all the tests.
01:53 We harvest the bamboo after four to five years.
01:56 That's when it's mature enough.
01:58 So in that period of time, the bamboo
02:00 will have consumed a lot of carbon dioxide
02:03 from the atmosphere.
02:04 So when the bamboo is mature, we build the bikes,
02:08 let our communities ride bicycles more than using
02:11 motorbikes and vehicles.
02:14 Then we shall have reduced on the carbon
02:15 footprints of our communities.
02:18 So bamboo does the job very well.
02:22 Bogali is a combination of two words.
02:25 The last three letters from the word bamboo,
02:28 and then the local Uganda name for the bicycle,
02:30 which is a gali.
02:31 So we make Bogali from those two words.
02:34 At 65, you need to keep your body going.
02:43 One of the things I do as part of my working out and keeping
02:47 fit is riding.
02:52 What I like about my bicycle, it's light and very
02:55 comfortable to ride.
02:59 Many times when you go to buy bicycles,
03:01 you buy whatever you find on the market.
03:04 But with this one, it is specifically designed for you
03:08 as the individual.
03:09 Making a bicycle frame from start to finish
03:20 takes 10 to 15 days.
03:23 We always measure the bamboo diameters.
03:26 Some bamboo grows very huge, and the wall thicknesses
03:29 are very big.
03:31 And some of them are too thin that they are weak and fragile.
03:34 I came up with the idea of using the back cloth as a natural
03:41 fiber to wrap the joints with epoxy resin
03:45 so that the joints are really strong enough.
03:48 The back cloth is a cultural and ancient cloth
03:52 in central Uganda.
03:53 We tested the back cloth for strength.
04:01 The results were good.
04:03 It's important to preserve culture in my work.
04:07 Every bike that we build, we have a Uganda flag
04:15 and the word "hand-built" in Uganda.
04:17 People want something different and something from Africa.
04:23 These bicycles, it has helped us.
04:33 It acts as our transport.
04:35 It's what we use when we are going to give out
04:39 these services at hospitals.
04:42 Providing items like soap, jerry, pampers,
04:48 toilet paper, baby soil.
04:51 We normally give it to the pregnant mothers.
04:54 These bicycles, they are strong.
04:57 We go to some areas, and it helps us
05:01 to reach these people in time.
05:03 There are many people who need our help.
05:06 Our bamboo bicycle frames cost $500.
05:10 And $100 goes back to the support of the caregivers,
05:14 the pediatric ward, and the maternity ward
05:17 at the Kavarevi General Fare Hospital.
05:19 Those are people who feel that we are buying a bicycle frame
05:22 for a cause.
05:23 We are helping someone, somewhere.
05:27 Today, the bamboo industry is growing.
05:30 And many people have started to realize the benefits of bamboo.
05:34 We are thinking of putting up an academy
05:39 where people will come and learn skills on bicycles.
05:42 So they can be employed in bicycle mechanics,
05:44 doing other things on bikes.
05:46 So that's the future we have.
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