Hilarious names grace Sepik vehicles

Words and pictures bySINCLAIRE SOLOMON
THE typical excuse for a problem too difficult to solve on the spot immediately is: Check again tomorrow or check again next week.
The East Sepik owner of this motor vehicle bought in Lae, Morobe, experienced such an ordeal, and has put it down in black and white for all to see.
Every time he checked with Lae on when his recent purchase would be shipped to Wewak, the female voice at the other end would reply: Not this week, check again next week.
Weeks came and weeks went with the same excuses.
Finally, after one year of “next weeks” he took delivery of the vehicle which is now a PMV doing the Wewak-Urimo run.
When it came to christening his vehicle, he did not have to dig into dictionaries to find a suitable name, for his wantoks suggested “next week” to show his frustration of the many weeks it took for the vehicle to arrive.
Thus, pictured is the front that has Next week Em Kam and the back Next week Em Go.
When it comes to naming PMVs, the Sepiks do take some beating.
Even the English teachers will be impressed that their former students – now vehicle owners – have put their language skills to constructive use.
The Sepiks simply love christening their PMVs.
The mind-boggling mix of English and Tok Pisin combined with Tok Ples, originality and pure imagination, grace trucks and buses of all shapes and sizes which service the Angoram Highway, the Sepik Highway and the West Coast Highway.
Early Bird and Morning Praise will normally greet you at the Wewak market gates where you can Forgive Christopher who is in Control of the Corner Stone section of the market with the White Eagle and Ples Man. Em Original Stret!
Spend a day at the Wewak market and you will probably come away a better English speaker Sepik style!
Pictured above is a sample of what may be in store for a first-time visitor to Wewak.