La Paz traffic zebras
The La Paz traffic zebras are a team of young people who dress in zebra costumes and dance in the streets of La Paz, Bolivia in order to make drivers and pedestrians aware of traffic rules.[1] The program is called the Mama Zebra Program.[2] The zebra was chosen because of the pattern of the zebra crossing.
By August 2016, the program had expanded to 265 La Paz and other 150 in two other Bolivian cities. Nationally, the progam is called Educadores Urbanos Cebras or Zebra Urban Educators.
The program
In the 1990s, Antanas Mockus, former mayor of Bogota, Columbia, started a program using mimes. He believed that shaming and teasing drivers would get better results than punishment. The program helped to reduce traffic deaths 50 percent during his time as mayor. After meeting with Mockus, a La Paz government worker named Pablo Groux came up with the idea of using zebras to make the zebra crossings come alive.[3]
The program, known as the Mama Zebra Program, began in 2001 with 20 zebras wearing "very ugly" costumes requiring two people.[4] It is part of a larger program for approximately 3,000 high-risk young people employment related to the improvement of the city.[4]
As of 2014, the cities El Alto, Sucre, and Tarija have dozens of zebras.[3]
Duties
The zebras work four hours a day from Monday to Friday stopping pedestrians from crossing the street against red lights and dancing into the middle of the street when the lights change in order to stop vehicles from running red lights.[5] They also help schoolchildren, senior citizens, and disabled people cross the street.[4]
Members
Zebras receive training in street performance and crowd dynamics. In 2009, each individual received $57 per month and health insurance for working as a traffic zebra part-time.[4]There are social benefits for these 265 youth. The program also helps pay for their education at local high schools as well as universities. They ages of the team range from 16 and 22 years old. Many of whom are marginalised.[6]
Hit-and-run fatality
In early August 2014, a zebra was killed in a hit-and-run. The female member, aged 17, was working in Tarija when she was hit by a truck. The driver, suspected of driving drunk, was caught and arrested.[7]
Other activities by the zebras
The zebras also head educational programs in public spaces and schools about recycling, water conservation, anti-bullying, and other. In 2014, they began to plan the launch of "Zebras Without Borders", a project to initiate zebra activities in other cities in Bolivia as well as in countries in Latin America. [8]
The 'Day of the Hug' was launched by the zebras and the La Paz Cultural Affairs' Happiness Program of the La Paz mayors office. The program encourages residents to hug one another. By 2014, the annual event was in its third year.[9]
The traffic zebras operate a program called "Zebra For A Day", where citizens can wear the costume and experience life as a zebra.
Traffic zebras also make frequent public service announcements at street festivals and on local television programs.
In popular culture
The zebras were featured in the season 4, episode 6 (March 19, 2017) episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. At the end of the show, Oliver provided twenty-four minutes of green screen footage of dancing zebras for others to use in their own, homemade videos.[10]
There are now numerous murals depicting the traffic zebras on buildings in La Paz.
See also
References
- ^ Bekiempis, Victoria (27 October 2009). "Bolivia: In Andean capital, dancing zebras direct traffic" – via Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ 颜筱箐. "'Zebras' enforce traffic safety in Bolivian capital - China.org.cn".
- ^ a b Henderson, Isabel. "Big in Bolivia: Zebras in the Streets".
- ^ a b c d Bekiempis, Victoria (27 October 2009). "Bolivia: In Andean capital, dancing zebras direct traffic" – via Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ "Traffic Zebras in La Paz (Bolivia)".
- ^ 颜筱箐. "'Zebras' enforce traffic safety in Bolivian capital - China.org.cn".
- ^ Shahriari, Sara (26 August 2014). "Zebra-suited urbanists of Bolivia undeterred by hit-and-run death" – via The Guardian.
- ^ "Friday Fun: Dancing zebras for safer streets - TheCityFix".
- ^ "Bolivia marks the third 'Day of the Hug'".
- ^ "John Oliver Uses Dancing Zebra Footage to Make "Painful" News More Bearable".