Voyage au bout de l’enfer Cameroun / Brésil : les routes de boue

Au Brésil et au Cameroun, les pistes boueuses et autres écueils rencontrés sur la route, ne rebutent pas les conducteurs Sandro et Benjamin.

© PASCAL CARRON/ PVP FILMS/ GEDEON PROGRAMMES
Réalisateur : Frédéric Réau

On tropical slopes, in the rainy season, drivers and their trucks, are put to the test. In Brazil, Sandro delivers his goods to the heart of the Amazon rainforest. – Lots of holes in the road? – Yes, and collapsed bridges ruin everything. Benjamin drives a Saviem bus on the roads of Cameroon.

For him in the event of a breakdown, it is also up to anger of the passengers that he must face. The 2 men know it well, every time that their trucks leave the asphalt, the unpleasant surprises begin.

We are in Cameroon. The man who comes to get his car stuck in the mud, his name is Benjamin. At 48 years old, he is an experienced driver who knows his vehicle by heart. A Saviem utility van, built in France in the 1970s.

In Africa, these vehicles adapted to the track, have been transformed into public transport, because they have the reputation of going everywhere. – I went there with Saviem. Until the hour I speak, where I can go with a bus Saviem loaded with people in it, no other car outside a 4×4 cannot go there.

Benjamin has 30 years of driving behind him. He started taxi before to drive trucks. His tours take him to the 4 corners of Cameroon and today, he is back in Yaoundé after 2 days difficult times on the track. If he appreciates his job for the change of scenery it provides,

Benjamin didn’t choose it. Orphaned at the age of 15, he had to find quickly his way to subsist. – It was not a choice, nor a desire, this job of driver, but in principle, I arrived there, because it is the life of an orphan.

When I lose my mother who at one time was everything to me, I no longer have any choice and I find myself almost left to my own devices. To find my piece of bread, I had to becoming a washerwoman is in the laundromat,

That I realize that I can start a car, and I became a driver. 7000 kilometers from Yaoundé, Brazilian drivers, experience road conditions as difficult as in Cameroon. We are exactly under the same latitude in this region of Brazil, close to the Equator. The BR 156 road, is renowned for its difficulty.

It crosses 600 kilometers of forest Amazonian between Macapa and Oyapock. Despite the extensive work to make it passable, there are still 165 kilometers of track remaining. Twice a week, Sandro does the round trip on this road, of which he knows every turn and every rut.

– I’ve been taking it for a long time this road, day, night. Every turn, every obstacle, every bridge, I have a great habit, I know her perfectly. It’s like I’m entering my house and that I had to go to the kitchen. Even with the lights off, I know where to go.

It is no coincidence that Sandro knows the road so well. Although he is still young, he has inherited the experience of his father, also a driver. – I’m 37 soon, I’ve been riding for 24 years, I started driving here at 13 with my father. I have seen many things, a lot of suffering.

Truck accidents. But I have a gun, the Word of God. I still have it here. From time to time, day or night, if I need to hear a word, It always helps to drive on this road. Everything good that happens today in our life,

God is always by our side. He never abandons us. And for Sandro, unlike Benjamin, becoming a driver was a dream. – The majority of my colleagues, on these roads, they suffer. Because it’s not a life, This is not the life they wanted.

There is a tiring side to staying away from his family, it weighs a lot. I had the opportunity to study, but I fell in love with trucks very early. In Cameroon, Benjamin got up early. This morning he leaves the village of Nguélémendouka, and he didn’t fill his bus.

He must reach as soon as possible the town of Nanga, to pick up passengers. If he arrives too late, the buses passed before it will fill it up, and he will not be able to hope for a good recipe. Although his salary is calculated depending on the kilometers,

Benjamin is also submissive to the pressure of the recipe. It is on this result that his company judges the drivers. So when the 1ᵉʳˢ quagmires slow down his car, Benjamin decides to go in force. Even if the Saviem is a vehicle robust at this speed,

And on these broken roads, there is often breakage. – It’s my wheel, it’s the one that comes out of there. We have spare wheels. It happened really early and it worries me, because we are still far from the city. From the start, I have been more than 20 kilometers away,

And I still have over 200 kilometers to get to town. And there, it really came very early. It’s never Benjamin who repairs his bus. On each trip, he constantly, a baggage handler and an assistant called the motor boy. He is the one who manages small breakdowns.

Like everyone is in a hurry to arrive, there are always passengers to get your hands dirty. This type of case is common on the track, and can have dramatic consequences. This time, Benjamin thinks that he was lucky. – Several times it happens to me to lose the wheels.

It is enough that there is perhaps a slope, a little deeper, then the wheel goes. Sometimes even this same wheel can create an incident for you. If there were people walking, the wheel goes off and it hits them. That’s another problem. Sometimes it even causes injuries.

You just need to be in a village, you are driving and the wheel jumps, these are problems. Either it breaks a wall, or it breaks a door. Stories can happen every moment on the track, as the repair is completed, a trucker stuck behind Benjamin, getting impatient.

– Calm down, it’s over, we leave. Where are you going to go? In Brazil, Sandro has more luck on the BR 156. For several years, work of scale are carried out by the government Brazilian and asphalted portions appear in the middle of the journey.

– Today to do This journey takes 10 to 12 hours. It depends on the speed, but before 15 years back, we could take 21 days, to travel 600 kilometers. This is the track as a whole which will soon be paved. Before, it had to be smoothed out, and cut through the hills

Which create impassable quagmires. – Before, it was more sloping than now. Today it’s more straight. There was always water on the climbs, it was difficult to move forward in the mud, when we went up, there were lots of puddles. It was one more difficulty to climb. It was very high.

The climbs were long and very steep. It’s improved by 60-70%. compared to what it was before. This is a very relative improvement because with the torrential rains, the road surface can change in a matter of hours. Drivers are often forced to zigzag or roll to the left,

In order to avoid numerous holes, even on climbs without visibility. So when 2 truckers cross paths, they always keep up to date with the news difficulties that the route has in store for them. – You will have to take the wide turn to align yourself.

This is how information travels. In this area without a telephone network, mutual aid and communication are natural between the drivers. Unlike the tracks of Cameroon, here, when a driver breaks down, everyone knows, and ready to offer help. – There’s a truck stuck behind. He couldn’t go up. – Where is he ?

– He stayed behind. We couldn’t get him out of there. Sandro will not have time to join his colleague, blocked several dozen kilometers ahead of him. Because the truckers stay rarely for long without help. – Hello my friend, you have news of the guy in front? – Yes, he got away with it.

Sandro will not have to intervene, but the The road is getting bumpier and bumpier. Because the closer his truck approaches Oyapock, and the less advanced the work is. In addition to the many holes and ruts, there are nearly 90 bridges on the route.

It is recommended to slow down their approach before crossing them, because with the rains, the structures wood becomes fragile. Waiting for their replacement by concrete bridges, drivers have no choice but to risk yourself on these unstable crossings. – I’ll go down to check what is the problem on this bridge.

He collapsed, there are fewer sleepers. When I passed here, everything was fine well and now it’s broken. Unpredictable. However, this bridge which was already broken several times, has just been repaired. – All that is there is old wood. It would be necessary to return the part of underneath, but it’s already collapsed.

To cross this bridge, Sandro did not have we can only hope that the pillars support the 18 tons of his truck. Sandro is an experienced driver, but with a sudden downpour, he will have to be extra careful. The sleepers, which have become slippery, could cause the wheels to deviate from their path.

A passage that plays out a few centimeters. Left Macapa at dawn, it took Sandro 12 hours, to reach the border town of Oyapock. Oyapock was once the place supplying the garimpeiros, these illegal gold miners which were rampant in Guyana. Since their departure, activity has declined.

The city that produces nothing, is refueled by trucks who travel from Macapa. Food, building materials, everything what we find here arrives via the BR 156. 2 times a week, Sandro delivers its goods here. – I ship, deliver and transport goods to Macapa, to Oyapock.

There’s a bit of everything, wood, junk, That’s what I carry. Exhausted by the road, Sandro never participates in unloading. And we understand why. – If you have no one to help me unload the goods, I won’t be able to drive anymore because of my back,

And fatigue is twice as great. Unloading and driving is too much. Delivery completed, Sandro must return to Macapa, and he only has one worry on his mind, Above all, do not return empty. Yet this is what happens most often to the driver. This is a serious shortfall for the 12-hour return journey.

Sandro roams the streets looking for of a providential loading. We told him about an individual who needs to make a big move. For Sandro who works for himself, It’s an unexpected opportunity to leave loaded, and to do a little extra money. When he discovers the magnitude loading, it will quickly become disillusioned.

– An oven, a pram and a bike? What else ? – A 2-seater mattress. – I’ll do it to you for 80 Reals. The price is a bit high. The customer tries to negotiate. – 60? Deal done. For 60 Brazilian reals, just €24. Sandro reluctantly accepts the move.

It must be said that usually he gets 250 Reals, with a full truck. But there, he has no choice. In addition, the customer demands a delivery schedule. – I will arrive around 4 or 5 a.m., to call him when I get there. Sandro is not at the end of his troubles.

To be there the next day at Macapa, he will have to get up at 5 a.m. On the road to Nanga, Benjamin trying to make up for lost time. Despite the lack of visibility and spare wheel removed, he accelerates. In these rural areas, it picked up too few passengers.

Only half of its 28 places are occupied. He must arrive as soon as possible to Nanga, to hope to fill his bus. But you have to take into account the stops which are numerous on the road. To compensate for his shortfall, Benjamin does not hesitate to take

A little time to do your shopping, particularly profitable in this region. – In principle, when we come here, we have road problems, but we have to stock up, food costs less around here. For example, these 2 plantain diets, which we leave at 1500 instead of 4000 francs,

So, that’s one of the advantages. that we get coming this way too. Customers are understanding because sometimes they themselves also ask, to go shopping because that’s all the world who wants to get supplies here, I am obliged to accept when they want to make purchases.

So they too are obliged to accept that I make mine. We have to do it since we share The problems. If you are not flexible, you are a little harsh on the passenger, or with the public, it’s no use. Here, everyone is happy and all the goods are accepted by Benjamin.

He’s used to seeing everything. The breaks do not exceed never a few minutes. Benjamin knows that at the slightest delay, some of its passengers can make life difficult for him. And it is no coincidence that a grid separates them from the cockpit. When Benjamin’s bus reached Nanga bus station,

For Benjamin, it’s finally the time to fill up with customers. Unfortunately, for some kilometers, he noticed the appearance of a major mechanical problem. He had a narrow escape. The mechanic of the company must intervene. – I have a brake problem, it doesn’t hold up well, oddly enough.

30 kilometers from here, I lost it. I don’t understand, recently I took a trip, I took on clients, I didn’t have any problems today. I need to take on some clients, the car bothers me. After the brake, what will I have next? Only here, the next ones travelers are already waiting for departure,

And they don’t want to know anything. The bus must leave on time. The minutes pass one behind the other, and Benjamin is starting to get very annoyed. On one side he has a mechanic who takes his time, on the other, travelers who are getting impatient. The pot is about to explode.

– Every time we have a problem like that, when we have a breakdown, there is pressure, Because the passenger, he wants to arrive. Those to whom we explain and who understand, others who don’t understand, who refuse to understand. We are forced to bear this pressure.

When I say support, that means that they will speak, they will get angry. You try to resist, saying that you understand, but since you can’t go with them with this breakdown. You accept that we say everything we tell you, you shut up, because you can no longer answer. The mechanic identified the fault.

It could come from a defective part and a second-hand cup, which is itself sold to them as new, to Benjamin a few days before. Benjamin can’t believe his ears. – I ask them to come down, because it’s hot in the car, they don’t want to.

And inevitably, with the heat, tempers are heating up. Benjamin must react. – People don’t think. What do I gain by staying here? When you are under pressure, hold back, don’t let go like barrels. – What are we going to do ? We go eat the driver? Eat the car?

– 4 times I went tell them “Be patient”! – You yourself are not reasonable! – I don’t work under pressure this this time. I am going to leave. When I’m ready, when my vehicle is good. Return to Brazil where Sandro is he also stopped to repair.

But here things get done in another atmosphere. A driver even stops, to lend him a hand. – Hello, is it blocked? – It’s one of the hits in rubber that has punctured. – What problem do you have? – The problem is the brake shoe.

He’s stuck and I have to unlock it to continue. To repair as quickly as possible, Sandro will isolate the brake that blocks its wheel, in other words, neutralize it. This means that he will not have no more brake on this wheel. – Your problem is serious.

Are there a lot of holes in the road? – Yes, and collapsed bridges. – Nobody repairs the road, it breaks cars. – Are you really late? – It’s always like that. My truck has a habit of suffering. – If you need, I am at your disposal.

Usually when a guy who knows you Come on, he always tries to help you. If he can help, he does. He comes to propose a solution and then we thank him. Then he continues on his way. If the need me or anyone, I help.

Whether rich or poor, whether his boss is good or not, we are all on the road. So with anyone, That’s it. Here, solidarity is a question of honor, not a question of money. Sandro will be able to resume the road to deliver your move.

He should have arrived at 5 p.m. the day before, but his half-day delay does not surprise him. – It’s totally impossible to plan an arrival time. to say I will be there at such hour, it’s very difficult. Even in summer, when there is no mud, there are a lot of holes and dust.

This is house 7013. It was late in the morning that Sandro arrives at his client’s house. In just a few minutes, her lean load will be delivered. Sandro only earned 60 reals for his 12 hour drive. So he leaves immediately direction Laranjal do Jari, where a cargo awaits of agricultural products.

It’s only 200 kilometers and 5 hours of driving. – We cross the Villanova bridge. From here to the village of Maraca, the path is more dangerous. There’s a place where it climbs and we can’t prefers not to know who is coming opposite.

We have the pressure, which must increase, goes up, who must go down, goes down. It is from here that the adrenaline starts to build. This is the most critical part, the most dangerous. How to say ? It’s very slippery around here. For 40 kilometers, Sandro goes face the part he fears the most.

Although he knows every rut, he must concentrate to avoid to skid on descents. He must be extra careful because since its makeshift repair, he has one less brake. If it slips too much, it’s guaranteed exit from the road. While Sandro fights against the road, Benjamin is back in Yaoundé.

What was supposed to be his day off, turns into a repair day, starting with its rim. It’s a day that is not paid, which is enough to annoy our driver. – Work, at some point, annoys me, It’s like it’s slavery. I arrived yesterday, I’m in the garage.

In the morning, you have to take another destination and it’s like that every time. A little further, the mechanics of the company are active around vehicles being serviced. Benjamin’s truck, which was not spared during its last outing, has priority.

– Every time I return from a trip, I have to go to the garage, so that we can try to redo, to see again what he had, what he didn’t have. It just takes a little negligence and you have problems along the way.

The roads we go to, these are not roads that reassure us. To be definitively reassured, Benjamin decided to start by changing its brake drums. – The drums on the truck, These are not the original ones. This one comes from Europe, the parts come to us from Belgium.

Sometimes we take in another vehicle that we cut up, we go back into the other one. By dint of patching up these trucks with used parts, these talented mechanics are capable to continue to operate vehicles 40 years old, and of which production stopped in 1992.

– They are tired Saviem, At the moment, they are not working, but we can make them work. So that requires sheet metal work. This one is not ready to roll, but we intend to run it. We cut up the old cabin, we adjusted this one. This one, too, is going to roll.

It’s missing now that we lay the floor, And it goes into painting. It’s almost done. It’s because here we care about Saviem, because, he has qualities that others don’t have. – What makes Saviem successful, it’s its front suspension. She resists. You can go on the roads, any road, with Saviem,

You are not going to have a problem with its front suspension. Here is the bridge which plays the role traction, and it’s tricky. You are making a bad maneuver, a wrong maneuver in the mud, you are breaking your bridge. We deplore this story a lot, it hurts us,

Because we don’t have any more coins. Used parts are stored in this container. Most bought back in Europe to individuals, are considered a real treasure. If they help prolong life coaches, they have disadvantages. The rust that covers them makes the more difficult task for mechanics,

So we have to tinker with the means at hand. – The welder should come, let him point a bolt there, so that we can loosen it. We are going to weld the bolts onto the screws, which we can no longer disassemble with screwdrivers, and there with nuts, we will dismantle them easily.

At this rate, it will have been necessary a day to put back Benjamin’s Saviem in good condition to ride. He can leave confident. The next day, it’s at the bus station Yaoundé, Benjamin’s day begins. When the first travelers flock under the company hangar, it is accompanied by a procession sellers of all kinds.

For his part, Benjamin organizes as he can load his car. As usual, he must also calm its passengers. – Calm down ! Why are you so agitated? The advantage at the start of the capital, there are always customers, to fill the bus. Disadvantage, it’s that its loading always takes longer than expected.

– We are late ! For Sandro, the most journey time is completed. To continue the journey, he is in charming company. Halfway through, he boarded passengers and their cargo. As a result, morale is high. His work day presents itself finally better than it started. It’s 3 p.m. when Sandro stops for lunch.

Here, you don’t choose your break time. It’s the road and the weather unpredictable who decides. And when it’s time to sit down at the table, Sandro is particularly perky. He has good reasons, because having passengers with you, is an opportunity for Brazilian truckers.

– Here, in the Mappa and in everything Brazil, there is a tradition. The driver who stops with passengers do not pay, and it is not only done on the local roads, in Oyapock too. It’s the same in everything the state, and not only. Throughout Brazil this system exists. End of break.

Sandro left for these 2 last hours of driving, in theory. On this track, when a truck has broken down, in the absence of a warning triangle, truck drivers use branches, placed on the ground. For Sandro, it’s a duty to stop and offer help.

– You have to maneuver it so that I can tow it in the right direction. – He can no longer drive. The truck driver who went to get help, arrives immediately to Take the things over control. – I’ll stand there, I’ll go down slowly.

– You have to maneuver first. – But it will pass, look. But the means of towing the driver makes Sandro smile a little. – Do you only have this to tow? Where is your cable? – He is dead. – You are going to wind this cable in the towing eye.

There is a spot in the bodywork. I revved my engine and I’m going to get towed. I’ll go to the next village, where we can tinker with the engine. As Sandro has no space to maneuver, off to a tow in reverse and uphill. Before putting the truck in the direction of travel,

Sandro has to get him off the track so as not to obstruct traffic. He goes back several hundred meters back to reach a solid ground. But on arrival, his maneuver is not not to his colleague’s taste. A shame. – Why did you come like that? Turn around, we’ll put a stick on you.

For further, no question of using the cable, vehicles could collide, It would need a tow bar. We make do with what we have, a trunk cut off on the side of the road, should do the trick. But Sandro has doubts. – Will he hold? – Yes.

– It will be easier if we cut one end. The longer it is, the more likely it is to bend. It would be better to shorten it, it will hold. – We put it in the tube, the stick, and we hook it to the other hook. Normally, it should hold.

We will ride slowly, I’m going to stay in first grade. Sandro is not really reassured by makeshift towing. His truck is his livelihood, and an unfortunate collision could well leave the 2 broken down trucks on the track. – What are you afraid of with this stick?

– I’m afraid your truck come and type mine. – Yours, it risks nothing, at worst, it’s mine which will sink into the piece of wood. I just want this stick, it lasts until the end without crushing. You have to tie it well because it will grow.

It is by driving at walking pace that Sandro tows his colleague, until the next habitation. At 10 kilometers per hour, it is not not ready to reach the goal. No matter the time lost, for Sandro, help his fellow travelers, is an integral part of his profession.

In Brazil, solidarity between drivers is a real life lesson. Benjamin is not so lucky and in a few moments, he will be able to realize it. When he almost arrived at his destination, a quagmire keeps him on the road. By insisting a little, the Saviem can pass.

Progress is difficult. The motor boy helps the driver, by putting weight on the rear wheel to that it clings to the ground, but that won’t be enough. As he reaches his goal, Benjamin only has a few more women, and children on board. Difficult to grow them with assistants. He needs outside help.

– I got stuck there. We’ll see the encouragement later. – We need the clauses before the commitment. – You’re helping me, it’s not money. It discouraged us. We said to ourselves that you will come back to give you No.

– I think I have 1,000 francs for you. It does not bother you ? Because if you don’t help I might spend a night there. By paying 1000 CFA francs to get out of there, Benjamin will spend a fifth of the pay he will receive for this trip.

– Where are the brothers who helped me there? Really thank you, that’s nice. It is often better to give them something something that gets you out of there rather than staying there. I arrive in this village, it’s already getting late,

There are those who had already taken their bath, They have to go through the mud then wash again. There is a little pain that we have for them gives and we have to compensate for that. In Brazil. Sandro has arrived at destination, 3 hours late.

He came to take delivery a cargo of agricultural products, that these villagers intend to sell in the Macapa markets. – From here to Macapa it is 200 kilometers. All the villagers here live of local agriculture. Here they have Brazil nuts, which are harvested from the wild. They have banana plantations, lemons, squash, potatoes.

Often, I bring a fridge, or a washing machine. Also furniture, equipment for tile houses, wood, bricks, cement. Everything comes from Macapa. It’s a real bond that Sandro created with this small community. In Brazil where the train does not exist, the truckers are very appreciated by the population,

Especially by the villagers of trails that are far from everything. Sandro doesn’t like to hang around on the road, even though he arrived after dark, he prefers to leave immediately. If all goes well, he will be in Macapa in 5 hours. On the way back,

Sandro finds the colleague who towed it late in the afternoon. Apparently its breakdown is more serious than he thought. Sandro turns around and stops, to take stock with him. – Is it in the front or in the back? Is it the differential?

Is it an engine problem? – Yes, look here at the burnt oil. I found all this when the engine revved. I have to wait for a mechanic. – They broke a suspension blade. He broke a piston because that there was an escape.

– It is either a piston which has broken, or a segment. But I think it’s more the piston because there were projections. For sure. -Besides, I have some goods in there. – He can no longer continue his journey. As he has few things, I offered to take everything from mine.

If one day I need something, I think it will help me out too. It would be nice to put everything in the bottom. Here, villagers and travelers do not ask for nothing to help these truckers. Everyone knows the difficulties of BR 156.

They know what they owe to men who deliver them, transport them, and create a link with the outside world. – Here in Amapa and everywhere Brazil, we have a saying that goes like this: “Without trucks, Brazil stops.” I would rather say: “What’s the point of having trucks, if there are no truckers, drivers?

The truck doesn’t drive alone. If you give a very old truck to a driver, if he’s a good driver, he goes, he comes without breakage, he goes quietly, slowly, but he goes there. No need to have trucks, if there are no drivers.

Sandro knows that he has and will always have recognition of the population. He can continue his journey without fear. Benjamin knows from his family, that he receives recognition. Every time he comes home, that he recounts his travel misadventures, everyone listens to it, Eyes wide open.

His wife. Aïcha knows that without him, his family is nothing, who even sacrifices himself for so he can have the best life possible. – I entered his life at the age of 17. Since then, we have not known a truly normal life.

Sometimes he is even sick, he refused to go to the hospital, and said that: “The little money I have, I prefer to keep it for the children’s health.” It’s as if he was going to waste, it hurts my heart a lot to see him sick, he unable to go to the hospital.

– My children, they are proud since they say it to anyone who will listen: “My father is a driver.” This means that they are not embarrassed, not even for a single moment, since I am used to put that in their heads, and then show them that This is what we live on.

It is thanks to this that I raise you. It is a river which flooded the bridge, it disappeared. A journey that I have often made in one day, I did it 2 days there. When I’m doing nothing, I take out my photos, I show them, and then I explain it to them.

They try to imagine what I’m going through when I’m not at home. On the mud roads, let it be in Africa, South America, truckers must all expect to encounter big mishaps. Benjamin and Sandro are both conscious of what awaits them and they accept it.

Because they both know that they will have at the end of the road, an ear that will listen to them. Whether they are family Benjamin, or citizen for Sandro.