You think you've got gas problems at home?  Try pulling over for a couple of
liters of gas in Benin.  Prices are no better here than elsewhere, and would be
more expensive still if the source weren't contraband passed over the border
from nearby Nigeria; low transport costs keep prices reasonable relative to
places that need to import across long distances, like every inland country to
the north of Benin.  But the quality of the fuel is miserable and its
impurities lead to high, sustained levels of air pollution as it courses
through the veins of the millions of cheap or dilapidated motorcycles that wend
their way through Benin's capital.  A trip across Cotonou with the windows open
can asphyxiate even the most intrepid.  The next issue is the distribution
network.  The occasional legitimate gas station can be found across the nation,
and they look essentially like gas stations anywhere in the developed world.
But everywhere else the burgeoning demand for fuel is satisfied by individuals
who deal in the contraband Nigerian stuff, carting it around in 5- and 10
gallon plastic jugs, and foisting it roadside in big glass vessels that glow
like mahogany in the afternoon sun.  Pull up in front of one of these places
and they'll siphon, funnel, or just pour the jugs straight into your tank.
Throughout much of the north, I'm told, this is the only gas you'll find.

If it doesn't sound safe to you, you're right.  Never mind the fumes, the
rampant spillage, the gasoline-soaked soil under every little mom-and-pop gas
station, the fuel basking in the tropical sunlight and heat, the threat posed
to anyone who showed up to refill smoking a cigarette (thankfully, I've hardly
seen anyone at all smoking in Benin – a small mercy): imagine the risk of
explosion.  Sadly, that's exactly what happens from time to time.  Just in July
a gas tanker tipped over at roadside and began spilling its contents onto the
ground.  Locals appeared with plastic containers to catch the gas and bring it
home for their own use or to sell.  By the time the tanker exploded in a ball
of flames a crowd of at least 50 people were in the vicinity.  15 died
immediately, but another 30 lived in agony for another day or two before
succumbing to the third degree burns.  It's awful to think about.

Everything in Africa is small scale except perhaps the wildlife, and buying and
selling gasoline a liter at a time provides an income for many a Beninese
family.  So the next time you complain about gas back home, remember you could
be a lot worse off.  From safety to quality of the gas to a system that ensures
environmental regulations are set and adhered to, we could suffer more than we
do from simple high prices.  Final note: we have seen one Hummer in downtown
Cotonou: the quintessence of extravagance back in the United States interjected
into an environment that only emphasizes its absurdity.  We got a good laugh
thinking about pulling a Hummer up to one of these country filling stations and
watching as the Beninese pour jug after jug of Nigeria's finest into the
bottomless gas tank.  Courtesy of my friend and colleague Joshua Berman I end
this essay with a (one finger) salute to the Humvee, the very picture of
everything that Benin is not: http://www.fuh2.com.