Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. The country extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its capital and largest city Lomé is located. Togo covers 57,000 square kilometres (22,008 square miles), making it one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of approximately 8 million persons, as well as one of the narrowest countries in the world with a width of less than 115 km (71 mi) between Ghana and its eastern neighbor Benin, which is also quite narrow, except for its northern parts.
Various tribes arrived in the region from all directions between the 11th and 16th centuries. The coastal region was a key commercial location for Europeans purchasing slaves from the 16th to the 18th centuries, earning Togo and the surrounding region the nickname “The Slave Coast.” In 1884, Germany declared Togoland, a protectorate that included present-day Togo.
Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan African country with a strong agricultural economy and a climate that allows for long growing seasons. While French is the official language, numerous other languages, particularly those of the Gbe family, are spoken. Indigenous people make up the majority of the religious population, but there are sizable Christian and Muslim minority. Togo is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Francophonie, and the Economic Community of West African States.
TRENDING FASHION IN TOGO
ACCESSORIES IN TOGO
TRIBES IN TOGO AND THEIR FASHION
The Ewe
The Anlo Ewe are a sub-group of the Ewe people of approximately 6 million people, inhabiting southern Togo, with majority of Ewe located in the entire southern half of Togo. They are a patrilineal society governed by a hierarchal, centralized authority. Their language (self-name Anlogbe) is a dialect of the Ewe language, itself part of the Gbe language cluster. The Ewe religion is centered on a supreme god Mawu and several intermediate divinities. Christianity has now been accepted in every part of Anlo Ewe land and with minority of the people still believing vodoo beliefs.
The Kabye
The Kabiye, also known as Kabye, Kabre, Cabrai’, are a people living in the north central mountains and northern plains of Togo. They speak the Kabiye language. The Kabye are primarily known for farming and cultivation of harsh, dry, infertile lands of Togo. They grow cotton, millet and yams.
TOURIST AND HISTORICAL PLACES IN TOGO
Kpalime – It’s known for its backwoods and bazaars, which are nestled beneath the Plateaux Region’s jungle-draped ridges and studded with German colonial remnants and the occasional European-style church spire.
Koutammakou – a region of rustic villages built from adobe walls and thatched roofs.
Kara – a home to nearly 100,000 people, it’s actually one of the largest towns in the country, and has a bustling marketplace.
Mango – It’s a place of hardworking villagers and devout mosque-goers, all of whom are boosted by the presence of the Keran National Park and commercial relations with Ghana over the western border.
Fosse aux Lions National Park – it’s the main draw of the savannah Region: a patchwork of savannah and muddy swamplands, mires and acacia-dotted plains that plays host to elephants.
Fazao Malfakassa National Park – Togo’s largest national park sits smack bang in the heart of the nation.
Bassar – a place where the main draw is the type of yam produced in the surrounding fields.
Atakpame – the small town of Atakpame and its little basin in the midst of the impossibly green Atakora Mountain was the site of an awesome battle for ages.
Aneho – Aneho that once boomed with the money and dubious merchandise of slave traders from across Africa and Europe alike.
Agbodrafo – Agbodrafo is known for its popular resort hotel: The Hotel le Lac.
Tsevie – One of the main producers of palm oil and centers for palm oil processing in Togo, Tsevie is an industrial place at heart.
MUSIC IN TOGO
The music of Togo has produced a number of internationally known popular entertainers. Togolese music includes a great variety of percussion-led dance music. All over Togo drums are used, by Christians and Muslims as well, to celebrate all major events of life and for festivals like the Expesoso or Yeke Yeke festival. In the Aneho district alone drums in use include the agbadja, ageche, aziboloe, kple, amedjeame, akpesse, grekon, blekete and adamdom. There are numerous rhythms in Togo, each area having its own special beat.
Some musicians in Togo
Some art work in Togo
MEALS IN TOGO
Yassa – fiery with spicy heat, yassa comprises marinated chicken (or sometimes fish) heaped with caramelized onions.
Sodabe – a palm wine or palm spirit. It is made by first fermenting the natural sugars found in the whitish sap of the palms, and then distilling the resulting concoction.
Riz sauce d’arachide – rice is cooked with a thick oily sauce.
Palm nut soup – the only foodstuff in Togo to come from the oil palm.
Koklo meme – Togo’s variant of grilled chicken.
Jus de bissap – a drink made from the dried petals of a particular type of hibiscus flower known as roselle.
Yassa
Sodabe
Riz sauce d’arachide
Palm nut soup
Koklo meme
Jus de bissap
Jollof rice – a one-pot dish which sees rice cooked alongside spices such as scotch bonnet peppers, curry powder, and nutmeg.
Groundnut soup – a staple dish in Togo, it is served traditional dishes.
Gboma dessi – a main dish combining meats with leafy greens in a stewing sauce with a tomato base.
Fufu – a side dish with the look and general consistency of uncooked dough, being slightly elastic but also soft on the palate when eaten.
Djenkoume – a traditional side dish in Togo. Made from corn meal, it is a moist cake with similarities in texture to polenta.
Brochettes – it consists of pieces of meat or fish fed onto a metal skewer and barbequed over hot coals.
Jollof rice
Groundnut soup
Gboma dessi
Fufu
Djenkoume
Brochettes
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND HABITAT PROTECTION IN TOGO
Togo is an agriculturally based society, with the majority of the population employed in subsistence agriculture and small cash crops. Commercial crops include coffee, cocoa, and cotton. Phosphate mining is the largest non-agricultural industry. Rich in flora and fauna, Togo’s conservation and natural resource management is highly important to the region. The IUCN Red List of threatened species lists 43 entries of threatened flora and fauna, including the African lion, African elephant and hippopotamus. Togo has 83 protected areas, covering 14% of the land, but most of these areas have been invaded by settlements and at best about 10% of Togo is in protected status (Amegadje 2007). This encroachment began occurring following the political turmoil that started in the 1990s. Several of the protected areas in northern Togo are part of a transboundary conservation corridor, providing a large area for the migration of big game animals like elephants. Flora and fauna are threatened by anthropogenic activities, such as hunting pressure, overharvesting, and converting land to agriculture.
EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN TOGO
Climate change is projected to increase the frequency, magnitude, and intensity of floods and associated landslides. Togo has increased its vulnerability to landslides in the past decades as more erosion and unsustainable deforestation and agriculture of marginal areas persist. The country’s poverty and reliance on rain-fed agriculture and livestock increases its vulnerability to climate change and limits the capacity of poor households and communities to manage climate risk, increasing their vulnerability to climate-related shocks. Weather related hazards of which Togo is vulnerable are likely to increase with climate change. Agriculture, energy, health, housing, water resources, and coastal areas will be particularly vulnerable to these climatic changes. Future climate change may worsen coastal erosion and lead to loss of goods and services, which is especially disturbing as over 90% of the country’s industrial units are located in coastal areas.
GENDER EQUALITY IN TOGO
In Togo, men and women have equal rights in terms of mobility, employment, income, and retirement benefits. However, when it comes to property and inheritance, women in this West African country only have 80% of the rights that males do. For marriage, motherhood, and enterprise, the disparity is even bigger.
Some prominent women in Togo include:
Victoire Sidémého Dzidudu Dogbé Tomegah – a Togolese politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Togo. She is the first woman to hold the office.
Brigitte Kafui Adjamagbo–Johnson – a Togolese politician, lawyer and human rights activist.
Cina Lawson – a Togolese politician. She was appointed Minister of Postal Affairs and Digital Economy.
Bernadette Essossimna Legzim-Balouki – a Togolese politician, who served as Minister of Primary, Secondary and Literacy Education.
Victoire Sidémého Dzidudu Dogbé Tomegah
Brigitte Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson
Cina Lawson
Bernadette Essossimna Legzim-Balouki
Germaine Kouméalo Anaté – a Togolese government minister, scholar and writer, she served as Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Civic Education.
Ayawavi Djigbodi Patricia Dagban-Zonvidé – a Togolese politician. Holder of a doctorate in African and comparative literature, who served as Minister for the Promotion of Women.
Essozimna Marguerite Gnakade – Togolese politician and the first woman to be appointed Defence in Togo.
Mawougno Mila Ami Aziablé – a Togolese engineer and politician, who serves as the Minister Delegate to the President for Energy and Mines in the Cabinet of Togo,
Germaine Kouméalo Anaté
Ayawavi Djigbodi Patricia Dagban-Zonvidé
Essozimna Marguerite Gnakade
Mawougno Mila Ami Aziablé
