MULTIFUNCTIONAL: Bicycles are still a vital way of getting around in China and Africa (COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE)

(COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE)

Djonda Akpehou Gustave is in front of his bicycle photo exhibit (WANG XIANG)

(COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE)

(COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE)

(COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE)

(COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE)

(COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE )

(COURTESY OF DJONDA AKPEHOU GUSTAVE )

China has long been known for its large population of bicyclists. Cycling has become such an ordinary part of life that no one pays much attention to it. However, at the Shanghai World Expo's African Joint Pavilion, 20 bike-themed photographs have sparked the curiosity of Chinese visitors.

The images in "Ces Bicyclettes D'ici et D'ailleurs" ("Bicycles Here and Elsewhere") were created by Djonda Akpehou Gustave, a photographer living in Lome, the capital of Togo. Several years ago, as a press-photographer he was invited to participate in a cyclocross through Togo, during which he began to realize the bicycle's importance.

"[A] bicycle is not just a means of transportation; it can also help protect nature and improve people's health. So what I'm doing is not just using it as the subject of my photos, but trying to awaken people to the [need for] environmental protection," Gustave told ChinAfrica. In the ensuing year after the bike racing, he went to Dapaong and Cinkasse in north Togo, shooting bicycle photographs, he added.

This past April, Gustave arrived in Shanghai to work at the African Joint Pavilion. Walking around, he was surprised at how commonly bicycles were used in China. "Here, bicycles are so widely used by people of different ages and in different walks of life," he noted.

According to Gustave, in big African cities, people tend to use motorcycles, which cause more pollution, respiratory diseases and traffic accidents. But in rural areas, bicycles are the norm. "In Chinese big cities, it's not just ordinary people who ride bicycles, so do those wealthy car owners," Gustave said, pointing out the contrast. He felt this was far different from what he sees in Togo.

Gustave shot many of  his photos in Dapaong's bicycle market. He says that although the bicycle plays a key role in local people's lives and work, Togo doesn't have its own bicycle manufacturing industry.

"All bicycles here are second-hand from [the] European market. They are sold to local people after being repaired or reassembled," he says, adding, "One of the reasons [I'm holding] this show is also to attract entrepreneurs' attention. I hope they can invest in Togo, assembling and manufacturing bicycles there, since bicycles are so important to [Togo's] people. China is such a huge bicycle manufacturer. Why don't Chinese investors go invest in Togo? What's more, they can also bring employment opportunities for local people."

Gustave's exhibit has also drawn the attention of organizers at the African Joint Pavilion. Wei Jieyun, a Chinese supervisor at the pavilion, feels the bicycle theme goes well with the Expo's goals of saving energy and environmental protection. "Besides," she says, "bicycles are a very good way for people to build [up] health and help maintain the ecological balance of our globe."

This is exactly what Gustave wants to communicate with his photos. "In my view, the idea of 'Better City, Better Life' indicates that a nice life can only be guaranteed by a clean city," he says. "When you use a bicycle, you are not only contributing to our environment, but also enhancing your physical health. Both cars and motorcycles emit [polluting] gas, but bicycles don't."