Who’s your Uber driver on the phone to? Welcome to the long, long diaspora phone call

The Guardian Africa · Sep 30, 2026

For those employed in arduous solitary work such as cab driving, a marathon phone call is the perfect place to navigate the dislocations of immigrant life Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here The question of the week is: “who are Uber drivers always talking to on the phone?” It’s one that regularly surfaces on Reddit threads and social media and even, on a couple of occasions, in the office. It’s not my question (I know who they are talking to), but I think the fact that many people are so baffled by it tells us a lot about the separate worlds we occupy. When you get a