TITLE: HAWA THE BUS DRIVER.
AUTHOR: RICHARD S. MABALA.
SETTING: TANZANIA.
SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTERS.
CHAPTER 1
HAWA THE BUS DRIVER.
This chapter introduces us to Hawa Ibrahim, the tall, strong and tough woman who weighs 82 kilos. Hawa is a bus driver. Some men don’t like the idea of a woman being a bus driver. Hawa is married to Selemani who is a machine operator at Urafiki Textile Mill. They have two children who are Hassan and Saada. One day when Hawa was in Ubungo, one of the buses started moving while the driver was outside smoking. Many people were worried, Hawa jumped quickly into the bus and helped to stop it. People started congratulating her but she got out of the bus and went away.
CHAPTER 2
HAWA’S DAY.
Hawa lives in Manzese in Dar-es-salaam. She lives in a rented house with her family. She wakes up early in the morning, cooks vitumbua and then wakes up the whole family for breakfast. Having finished their breakfast, she and her husband leave for work while the children leave for school. Hawa sells her delicious vitumbua before work. Many people like her vitumbua.
CHAPTER 3
HAWA AND THE DRUNKARD.
One day when Hawa was in the evening shift, one of the drunkard passengers holding a knife attacked Hawa claiming that he wanted to drive a bus and that women can’t drive buses. Hawa was wearing her boots. She kicked the drunkard man three times on the leg and he fell down. Conductor Meshak and other passengers seized him and he was taken to the police station.
CHAPTER 4.
HAWA AND THE THIEVES.
Hawa was in the evening shift again, some thieves who entered the bus as passengers abducted the bus and then forced Hawa to drive out of the route. They wanted her to drive to Mbezi forest, outside the town. She obeyed and started driving while thinking on what to do to rescue the passengers from robbery. She looked via the driving mirror and one of the passengers in blue overall winked at her. Hawa stopped the bus suddenly, the thieves were easily seized and they were taken to the police station. People congratulated her again.
CHAPTER 5.
THE ACCIDENT.
The bus named CHANGU NI CHANGU CHOTA CHAKO KWINGINE knocked down a boy and it did not stop. The boy was badly injured. Hawa stopped her bus to help the injured boy. Some passengers blamed her that they were late for work, but Hawa remained consistent that she would help the boy, if they think that they were late, it would be better that they take another bus. Instead they helped her to take the boy to the police station and later on to the hospital. The inspector blamed Hawa for being late. In that evening she went back to the hospital and found the boy was improving.
CHAPTER 6.
SELEMANI IS JEALOUS.
Hawa becomes very famous in Dar-es-salaam in such a way that everyone knows her. She became even more famous than her husband Selemani. Selamani becomes jealous because her wife is now more famous than him. His friends at work also advise him to stop her from working because it is not good for a woman to be more famous than her husband. He calls his wife and tells her to write the letter of resignation. She obeys her husband’s orders but her fellow drivers led by Mzee Athumani help her by talking to her husband. They request him to change his mind and at the end of the discussion he agrees to let his wife continue with her job. That evening Selemani called his wife and apologized for making decisions without asking for her opinions. The story ended happily
ANALYSIS
SETTING:
The events take place in Tanzania in Dar-es-salaam town with the following sub-settings.
Manzese: Where Hawa lives with her family in a rented house. She lives with other fellow renters like George, Chausiku, a nurse, a clothes trader and a school primary teacher.
Ubungo: Where Hawa volunteers to stop the bus which was already moving very fast whose driver was outside smoking a cigarette. Hawa jumped into the bus quickly and tried all means she could till she managed to stop the bus.
Police station: Where Hawa takes the drunkard man, the boy who got in an accident and the thieves who attempted to abduct the passengers.
Hospital: Where the boy who got in an accident was taken to for treatment.
Bus station: The destination of the company buses.
WHAT IS THE STORY ABOUT?
The story is about a strong, tall, tough, courageous but kind woman called Hawa. Hawa is a bus driver in Dar-es-salaam. Men didn’t like a woman being a bus driver. They believed that she was destroying African tradition. She overcomes all challenges that face her, a situation that makes all men to completely accept her. She became the most famous bus driver in Dar-es salaam. Selemani, Hawa’s husband, feels jealous because his wife has become more famous than him. He decides to stop her from working as a bus driver. Hawa obeys her husband but before submitting the letter of resignation, her fellow drivers go to request and convince Selemani to allow his wife to carry on with her job. He finally agrees and lets his wife go on with her job and they live a happy life.
CHARACTERS:
1. HAWA.
➢ She is a famous bus driver in Dar-es-salaam.
➢ She is a wife of Selemani and a mother of Hassan and Saada.
➢ She lives in Manzese suburb in a rent house.
➢ She is strong, tough, tall and weighs 82 kilos.
➢ She cooks vitumbua and sells them before she goes to work.
➢ She is a very courageous woman driver in Dar-es-salaam town.
➢ She is kind and good-hearted, she helps people with the need.
➢ She helps the boy who was knocked down by the bus.
➢ She is very obedient to her husband. She obeys to whatever she is told.
➢ She is a good mother to her children. She advises them not to fight at school
➢ She writes a letter of resignation but her fellow drivers help her to continue with her job.
GOOD CHARACTERISTICS OF HAWA.
These are characteristics that make us like this character.
➢ She is kind and good-hearted, she helps people with the need.
➢ She is very obedient to her husband. She obeys to whatever she is told.
➢ She is a good mother to her children. She advises them not to fight at school
➢ She is courageous
2. SELEMANI.
➢ He is Hawa’s husband and a father of Hassan and Saada.
➢ He is a machine operator at Urafiki Textile mill.
➢ He listens to wrong people who gives him a wrong advice. His friends at work advise him to stop his wife from working simply because she is more famous than him.
➢ He becomes jealous because his wife becomes famous than him.
➢ He tells his wife to write a resignation letter and stop working
➢ He is hot-tempered, he gets angry for minor reasons.
➢ He makes decisions without asking his wife’s opinions.
➢ He is given a good advice by Mzee Athumani and finally allows his wife to continue with her job.
➢ He later on, apologized to his wife.
NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF SELEMANI.
These are characteristics that make us dislike this character.
➢ He is very jealous.
➢ He listens to wrong people who give him a wrong advice.
➢ He is hot tempered.
➢ He makes decisions without consulting his wife.
3. HASSAN AND SAADA.
➢ They are Hawa and Selemani’s children
➢ They are in primary school.
➢ They are laughed at school because their mother is a bus driver.
➢ They always get angry of this and sometimes want to fight.
➢ They are very obedient to their parents.
➢ They are well raised by their mother.
4. MZEE ATHUMANI.
➢ He is the oldest bus driver in the company.
➢ He works in the same company with Hawa.
➢ He is a very wise old man and he gives good advice.
➢ He gives Selemani a good advice that he should allow his wife to continue with her job.
➢ He succeeds to convince Selemani to change his mind and allow Hawa to carry on with her job.
➢ He believes that couples must respect each other.
➢ He also believes that pride and respect are enemies and they cannot sleep together
5. MESHAK.
➢ He is Hawa’s bus conductor.
➢ He collects the bus fare from the passengers.
➢ He is very helpful, he helps Hawa against the drunkard who attacked her.
➢ He also helped Hawa against the thieves who abducted the bus.
CONFLICTS:
1. Conflict between Hawa’s children and the school pupils.
This conflict erupts because the school pupils laugh at Hassan and Saada because their mother is the bus driver. Hassan and Saada get angry and always want to fight but their mother advises them not to fight with the fools
2. Conflict between Hawa and the drunkard.
This happened when the drunkard tried to force Hawa out of the steering wheel for him to drive. Hawa kicked him on the legs three times and he fell down. Meshak and the passengers seized him and took him to the police station.
3. Conflict between Hawa and the thieves.
This conflict happened when the thieves forced Hawa to drive the bus out of the route to Mbezi. Suddenly Hawa stopped the bus, the thief with a gun lacked balance and they were seized by Meshak and the passengers. They were taken to the police station.
4. Conflict between Hawa and the passengers.
When Hawa stopped to help the boy who got in an accident, the passengers got furious against Hawa claiming that they were late for work. Hawa also reacted against them by telling them that, if they see that they are late for work, it would be better that they take another bus. Finally, they realized how kind she was and they helped her to save the boy’s life.
5. Conflict between Selemani and the drivers.
Selemani got furious when the drivers advised him to let his wife go on with her job. They went on giving him wise advice till he agreed to free his wife to carry on with her job.
MESSAGES/LESSONS/THEMES THAT WE LEARN FROM THE STORY.
From our story we learn the following.
➢ We should be courageous, kind and good hearted as Hawa is.
➢ Wives should respect their husbands even though they are very famous.
➢ Men should not be jealous of their wives whenever they become famous.
➢ We should not listen to wrong people because they may mislead us.
➢ We should keep away from bad friends who always give wrong advices.
➢ Couples should respect each other.
➢ We should apologize whenever we make mistakes.
RELEVANCE OF THE STORY:
We normally say that the story is relevant to our society if what is said in the story is also found in our society. Therefore, we say that this story is relevant to our society because;
➢ There are women in our society who are bus drivers nowadays.
➢ There are people who rob people in the buses.
➢ There are husbands who are jealous to their wives whenever they succeed.
➢ There are people in our society who give their friends wrong advices.
➢ There are some men in our society who make decisions without consulting their wives.
HOW DID THE STORY END?
The story ended happily because Selemani allows Hawa to continue with her job.
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