Zemi-John

Zemi-John,
Zemi-John, aye!
Zemi-John, aye, aye, aye
Taxi Moto. - from a popular song on the radio

go here to listen to the song and watch the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwy7YdfdobM


The easiest, fastest, cheapest way to get around town is by zemi-john, or "zem". They are small motorcycles or scooters driven by men who either work for a company or independently. There are thousands of them all over Lomé. The motorcycles aren't marked in any special way and the drivers don't wear a uniform, but a zem is easy to find, in fact, they are unavoidable. When walking down the street, every available zem driver will honk at you regardless of what side of the street you are on, if you are alone or in a group of 4...pretty much unless you are dead on the side of the road the zem drivers will honk at you hoping to get a fare. It's practical to travel by zem. You can weave between cars, avoid potholes easier and squeeze around big trucks parked (or stalled) on the side of the road. The fare is about 25 cents, 75 if you are going across town, and is negotiated at the beginning of the ride. The problem with zem drivers, and most motorists in general in Lomé is that they are completely INSANE!!!! No one pays attention to traffic signals, right of way, rules of the road and, unless there is a policeman on the scene directing traffic, it is absolute, complete chaos. Sure, I've tried taking a regular taxi, but they're more expensive, harder to find and take much longer to get where you're going as the driver makes detours and multiple stops to pick up and drop off other passengers along the way. So I do what everyone else here does - I take a zem. I try and stay relaxed, I try not to watch the road ahead and I hope, deep down in the core of my being, that God, Allah and every single one of the voodoo deities in the neighborhood is watching my back.