Street Law

Okay, listen closely. Benin: On the 'Top 10' list for 'Poorest Country in the World', and yet I don't really feel that safety is a huge issue. Maybe it is in minor circumstances, like petty theft of rich yovos (again, yovo=fon for white person), but for the most part I feel really safe when the sun is up. "What the hell!, you're crazy Sarah", you might be thinking, but I have some logic to back it up:

Random fact #1) People are poor here, poorer then you might be able to understand, but you don't steal here. I know I've said it before, but if you get caught steeling here it's a race to the police station; you vs. the mob who's chasing you. Street Law.

example #1) Tanguieta, Benin 2 years ago. 2 guys were chased by a mob to the gendarmerie (police station) for stealing a moto, and they beat the mob. Guess what though? these lucky bastards were freed by the police later that day... lucky bastards... so you would think anyway, right??? ...The only catch is, that mob was still outside waiting for them, asking the police to let them go even. As soon as these guys were freed these people gave them a thorough 'gasoline shower', and proceeded to lend them a lit match... then and there, from what I understand. Street Law.

example #2) Tanguieta, Benin a month ago. Another guy decides to steal a moto, and he beats the mob to the gendarmes (police) as well. Well, this guy was really a lucky one. His only punishment was that he had to dance for 4 hours straight. Oh, oh, I forgot to mention... they kind of broke one of his legs in the process of 'retrieving' him... this guy had to dance for 4 hours straight on a broken leg at gunpoint. Street Law.

This whole thought of punishment has really caused me to do a lot of thinking about the cause and effect of crime and punishment. The police here don't patrol the streets. They have their one building in every village where they stay and gaurd. On top of that, if you want them to do any investigating on anything you usually have to offer a bit of 'insentive' for them... so the Gendarmes (police) aren't doing anything really. It's all the people here. Also, there's not any form of mafia here that I can see... that would be a curious thing to theorize on, but I lack the information on the subject. There's definitely no lack of guns... those are readily available next door in Nigeria. Could it be a cultural thing... Is it because they are collectivists, not individualistic enough to kill for one another?? That doesn't seem very logical. Is it the sense of justice that comes with the Voodoo background? ...Who knows. All I know is what I see, and I always find myself amazed. Street Law. Who knew.

Best of luck to you all.

Sarah