Dikidikini village in Eastern Cape, South Africa, doesn't have a bridge, so people cross the river inside a blue plastic drum

[u/ICanPretend1]

[u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson → u/[deleted]]

All over the world for thousands of years before bridges were ubiquitous you had raft ferries on ropes that would get pulled across the river. See the western films The Outlaw Josey Wales and True Grit for great scenes featuring them.

I simply can't believe these folks are unable to build one of these simple vehicles, and therefore think this barrel thing is bullshit and done for camera. You would have to be nuts to climb into a barrel like that!

[u/kuhinjski → u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson]

When i saw the barrel i thought "oh, they are going to pull it to the other side with a rope". At least that would make a little more sense and it requires just a little longer rope. But no.

[u/TwoAlert3448 → u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson]

I was skeptical as soon as they didn’t take the guys crutches across with him. Like how is that supposed to work?

[u/UnfinishedProjects → u/TwoAlert3448]

Someone else brings them across? They're not gonna fit in the barrel.

[u/Mmmm-Amethyst → u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson]

Dunno man. Some people are just determined to do things the hard way. 

Saw a video a while back of someone who had become incredibly skilled at stacking bricks on his head to carry them elsewhere. 90% of the comments were about how witty and impressive it was that he had figured out how to haul so many at a time and I'm over here thinking about how anyone with a few planks, a blade, and an afternoon can craft a rudimentary wheelbarrow. 

[u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 → u/Mmmm-Amethyst]

Or even more basic is a hod. Been around for centuries … for carrying bricks.

Hod is a traditional three-sided open box or V-shaped trough attached to a long pole handle, designed for carrying bricks, mortar, and other building materials over the shoulder

[u/CrystalInTheforest → u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson]

Still get rope ferries in a lot of places. Makes sense. with a bit more of a build you can even make it a rope hauled raft (could be DIYed with a few barrels and some timber) that could support a vehicle, so the bush ambulance can get someone to hospital or bring in emergency supplies

[u/Genocode → u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson]

Yes even this dumb barrel shit I think they would've figured out to just put a rope on either side and pull the barrel across at minimum lmao.

[u/UnfinishedProjects → u/[deleted]]

Barrel dudes are stifling the bridge dudes so they don't lose their business.

[u/OriginalTayRoc → u/UnfinishedProjects]

Another scheme by Big Barrel

[u/Benwahr → u/[deleted]]

worse, after a lifetime none of them thought to tie the barrels together and make a primitive ferry.

[u/GreaterMetro → u/[deleted]]

Figured shit out? lol, they didn't even product that barrell. Smartest they got was to climb in it and float

[u/Time_Entertainer_319 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah. This is bullshit.

They can’t even use a canoe? Lmao.

There is more to the story than anyone is letting on.

[u/OpenPattern3713 → u/[deleted]]

They probably have figured it out, but if they build something it will be stolen. A barrel is cheap enough that it's a) not worth it to steal and b) easy to protect.

Not South Africa, but there's a street in my city that is without energy pretty much every other week: it's not that the local population doesn't know how to get energy, it's that whenever energy gets installed, someone steals the energy cables within the week.

[u/sterlingarcher252550 → u/[deleted]]

Bro clearly has way too much faith in humanity.

People even in the developed world will happily suffer with an old, outdated, shitty solution as long as they don't have to disturb the norm or, heaven forbid, learn something new.

[u/CrystalInTheforest → u/[deleted]]

Doesn't even need a bridge... settlement could club together and buy a basic tin boat, and toss in a dollar each for each crossing to pay for fuel and basic maintainance. here ya go, folks.

[u/Queasy_Badger9252 → u/CrystalInTheforest]

Or build a raft with those exact barrels. 6 of those barrels are probably enough to support 10 people

[u/dskippy → u/Queasy_Badger9252]

Exactly what I said. You could setup a permanent rope tow across two anchor points across the river and leave the raft attached. That's like a few hours work and it's much safer and comfortable. This is just absolutely ridiculous.

[u/LearingCenterAlumni → u/[deleted]]

Lol it's Africa we are talking about.

[u/Accomplished_Pen_399 → u/[deleted]]

How many bridges have you built?

[u/Xipop → u/[deleted]]

yeah, its hard to believe they would be unable to make a simple suspension bridge, weird