Togo
Togo, officially the
Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa bordering Ghana in the west,
Benin in the east, and Burkina Faso in the north. In the south, it has a short
Gulf of Guinea coast, in which the capital Lome is located.
History
Western history does not record what happened in Togo before the Portuguese
arrived in the late 15th century. Various tribes moved into the country from
all sides- the Ewé
from Nigeria
and Benin
and the Mina
and Guin
from Ghana.
The leader of the revolution was Treb Mrebino and he made a popular new type of
currency called trebel.
When the slave trade began in the 16th century, several of the tribes -
especially the Mina - became agents for European traders, travelling inland to
buy slaves from the Kabyé and other northern tribes. Denmark
staked a claim on Togo in the 18th century, but in 1884, Germany
signed a deal with a local king, Mlapa III, and Togoland
became a German colony. It was
named after the town of Togo (now Togoville)
where the deal took place. The Germans brought scientific cultivation to the
country's main export crops (cacao, coffee and cotton) and developed its
infrastructure to the highest level in Africa. In 1914, Togo was occupied by French and British
forces. Togo was split between the British and the French by the League of
Nations mandates after World War I ended in 1918. During the colonial
period, the Mina grew in political and economic influence, by virtue of their
coastal position and long association with Europeans. The Ewé, by contrast,
were divided with the dissection of Togoland,
and political groups on both sides began to agitate for reunification. Hopes
for unity were dashed when British
Togoland voted to be incorporated into Ghana, then on the brink of independence. After the
expiration of the French-administered
UN trusteeship on April 27, 1960, the French side declared its independence, with French
Togoland becoming Togo.
Economic
expansion
It was, however, only a perfunctory strike against colonialism.
Togo remained heavily dependent on the West. From the late 1960s to 1980, Togo experienced a booming economy, built largely on
its phosphate reserves. Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who became President in
1967, tried to mold the country into a traveller's and investor's paradise. His
plans proved overly ambitious, and when the recession of the early 1980s hit
and phosphate prices plummeted, Togo's economy fell into ruin. The government was
plagued by numerous coup attempts. Eyadéma himself fired many of the shots that
killed 13 attackers in a 1986 coup.
Fight for
democracy
In the early 1990s, the international community began putting pressure on
Eyadéma to democratize, a notion he resisted with a few waves of his trademark
iron fist. Pro-democracy activists - mainly southern Mina and Ewé - were met
with armed troops, killing scores of protesters in several clashes. The people
of France and Togo were furious, and under their backlash Eyadéma
gave in. He was summarily stripped of all powers and made president in name
only. An interim prime minister named Jomo Amadi was elected to take over
command, but his fight for the truth was stalled four months later when his
private residence was shelled with heavy British-made artillery by Eyadéma's
army. His wife was murdered two months later and some attribute the killing to
Eyadema's followers. These hardball tactics continued into 1993. Terror strikes
against the independent press and political assassination attempts became
common place, while the promised 'transition' to democracy came to a stand still.
The opposition continued to call general strikes, leading to further violence
by the army and the exodus of hundreds of thousands of southerners to Ghana and Benin. Using intimidation tactics and clever political
machinations that disqualified one opposition party and caused another to
refuse to participate, Eyadéma won the 1993 presidential elections with more
than 96% of the vote. In the years following, opposition parties have lost most
of their steam and Eyadéma's control has become almost as firm as before the crisis
began. In August 1996, Prime Minister Edem Kodjo
resigned, and the planning minister, Kwassi Klutse,
was appointed prime minister. Eyadéma won another five-year term in June 1998
with 52% of the vote, nearly being defeated by Gilchrist
Olympio, son of Sylvanus Olympio. Later investigations revealed
widespread human rights abuses. In 2002, in what critics called a
'constitutional coup', the national assembly voted unanimously to change the
constitution and allow Eyadéma to 'sacrifice himself again' and run for a third
term during the 2003 presidential elections. The constitutional change
eliminated presidential term limits. Meanwhile, Gilchrist
Olympio's attempts to beat the man who overthrew his father were
scuppered yet again when he was banned from running on a tax-law technicality. Despite
allegations of electoral fraud, Eyadéma won 57% of the votes in the 2003
elections, which international observers from the African Union
described as generally free and transparent. For many Togolese, there was
little optimism for the future and a prevailing sense of déjà vu as Eyadéma
extended his record as Africa's
longest-serving ruler.
Geography
Togo is a small Sub-Saharan nation compising a long strip of
land in West Africa.
Togo's geographic coordinates are a latitude
of 8° north and a longitude of 1°10′ east. It is bordered by three
countries: Benin
to the east, with 644 km of border; Burkina Faso
to the north, with 126 km of border; and Ghana, with 877 km of
border. To the south Togo has 56 km (35 mi) of coastline along the Bight of
Benin of the Gulf of Guinea off the North
Atlantic Ocean. Togo stretches 579 kilometres (360 miles) north from the Gulf and is only 160
km (100 mi) wide at the broadest point. In total, Togo has an area 56,785 km°, of which 54,385 km° is land and 2,400 km° is
water. The country consists primarily of two savanna plains regions separated
by a southwest-northwest range of hills (the Chaine du Togo). Togo is commonly divided
into six geographic regions. In the south lie low-lying sandy beaches. The
coastal region is narrow and followed by tidal flats and shallow lagoons. There
are also a number of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Togo.
Further north lays the Ouatchi Plateau. This plateau is about 30
kilometres wide and located at an altitude of 60 to 90 metres above sea level. Terre
de barre is another name for this region, in use because of the reddish
leached soil which is rich in iron. Northeast of the Ouatchi Plateau lies a tableland. At
its highest, this region is about 500 metres above sea level. The area is
drained by the Mono River and tributaries, including the Ogou River. To the west and the southwest of
the tableland lie the Togo Mountains. These mountains run across the
central region of Togo, ranging from the southwest to the northeast. The
mountain range reaches into Benin where it is known as the Atakora Mountains and Ghana where it is known as
the Akwapim Hills. The highest mountain of Togo is
the Mount Agou
with a height of 990 meters. North of the Togo Mountains lies a sandstone
plateau through which the Oti River flows. The vegetation is
characterized by savanna. The River Oti, which drains the plateau, is one of
the main tributaries of the River Volta. In the far northwest of Togo lies a higher region which is characterized by its rocks: granite
and gneiss.
The cliffs of Dapaong
(Dapango) are located in this part of Togo.
Climate
Togo has a tropical climate. The rainy season occurs between April and June as
well as between September and October in the southern regions. The coastal
regions are the dryest parts of the country, with an annual rainfall of only
890 millimeters. Further inland twice this amount is not uncommon. The northern
half of Togo only has one rainy season lasting from June to September. The average
rainfall in these areas is about 1200 millimeters. Most of this rain falls
during the short rainy season. The rest of the year is mostly dry and warm. A
warm and dust-laden wind called harmattan
predominates during the dry times. Togo's climate varies from tropical to savanna. The south is humid, with temperatures
ranging from 23°C to 32°C (75°F to 90°F). In the north, temperature fluctuations
are greater-from 18°C to more than 38°C (65°F to 100°F). The annual mean
temperatureas vary. Along the coast and in the Togo Mountains, they are around
26 degrees Celsius, while in the north, they are about 28°C. In August temperatures
between 20°C and 38°C can occur.
Economy
This small Sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on
both commercial and subsistence agriculture,
which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton together
generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal, with
occasional regional supply difficulties. In the industrial sector, phosphate
mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from the
collapse of world phosphate prices and increased foreign competition. Togo's GNI per capita is US $380. (World Bank, 2005).
Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. The government's
decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank
and the IMF,
encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures, has
stalled. Political unrest, including private and public sector strikes
throughout 1992 and 1993, jeopardized the reform program, shrank the tax base,
and disrupted vital economic activity. The 12 January
1994 devaluation of the
currency by 50% provided an important impetus to renewed structural adjustment;
these efforts were facilitated by the end of strife in 1994 and a return to
overt political calm. Progress depends on following through on privatization,
increased openness in government financial operations (to accommodate increased
social service outlays), and possible downsizing of the military,
on which the regime has depended to stay in place. Lack of aid, along with
depressed cocoa prices, generated a 1% fall in GDP in 1998, with growth
resuming in 1999. Assuming no deterioration of the political atmosphere, growth
should rise to 5% a year in 2000-2001.
Religion
According to the CIA
Factbook, 51% of the Togolese people follow indigenous, African beliefs. The
second largest religious group in Togo is the Christians who make up 29% of the population. The rest of the
population follow Islam and are 20% of the population.
Politics
Togo's transition to democracy is stalled. Its democratic institutions remain
nascent and fragile. President Eyadéma, who ruled Togo under a one-party system for nearly 25 of his 37 years in power, died of a
heart attack on February 5, 2005. Under the
constitution, the speaker of parliament, Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba, should have
become president, pending a new election. Natchaba was out of the country,
returning on an Air France plane from Paris. The Togolese army closed the nation's borders, forcing the plane to land
in nearby Benin. With an engineered power vacuum, the army announced that Eyadéma's son Faure Gnassingbé, also known as Faure Eyadéma,
who had been the communications minister, would succeed him. The constitution
of Togo declared that in the case of the president's death, the speaker of
Parliament takes his place, and has 60 days to call new elections. However, on
February 6th, Parliament retroactively changed the Constitution, declaring that
Faure would hold office for the rest of his father's term, with elections
deferred until 2008. The stated justification was that Natchaba was out of the
country. The government also moved to remove Natchaba as speaker and replaced
him with Faure Gnassingbé, who was sworn in on February 7,
2005, despite the
international criticism of the succession.
The African Union
described the takeover as a military coup d'état.
International pressure came also from the United
Nations. Within Togo, opposition to the takeover culminated in riots in which four people died.
In response, Gnassingbé agreed to hold elections and on February 25,
Gnassingbé resigned as President, but soon afterwards accepted the nomination
to run for the office in April. On April 24,
2005, Gnassingbé was elected President of Togo, receiving over 60% of the vote
according to official results. See the History section of this article for
details. Parliament designated Deputy Speaker Bonfoh Abbass
as interim president until the inauguration of the election winner.
Culture and Sport
Togo's culture
reflects the influences of its 37 tribal ethnic groups, the largest and most influential
are the Ewe,
Mina, and Kabre. French is the official language of Togo, but many native African languages are spoken there as well. Despite the influences
of Christianity and Islam, over half of the people of Togo follow native animistic practices and beliefs. Ewe statuary is
characterized by its famous statuettes which illustrate the worship of the twins, the ibéji. Sculptures and hunting trophies were used rather than
the more ubiquitous African masks. The wood-carvers of Kloto are famous for their "chains of marriage": two
characters are connected by rings drawn from only one piece of wood. The dyed
fabric batiks
of the artisanal center of Kloto represent stylized and coloured scenes of ancient
everyday life. The loincloths used in the ceremonies of the tisserands of Assahoun are famous. Works of the painter, Sokey Edorh, are inspired by the immense arid
extents, swept by the harmattan, and the laterite keeps the prints of men and
the animals. The plastics technician, Paul Ahyi, is internationally recognized today.
He practises the "zota",
a kind of pyroengraving, and his monumental achievements decorate Lome.
Football
As in much of Africa, football is the most popular sporting pursuit.
Up until 2006,
Togo was very much a minor force in world football, but like fellow West
African nations such as Senegal, Nigeria and Cameroon before them, the Togolese national team finally qualified
for a World Cup; in this case the 2006 tournament in Germany.
The team's star player is Emmanuel
Adebayor, who currently plays for English
Premiership club, Arsenal. Togo was knocked out of
the tournament in the group stage after losing to South Korea,
Switzerland
and France.
Togo's 2006 World Cup
appearance was marred by a dispute over financial bonuses, a situation that
almost led to the team boycotting their match against Switzerland.
Eventually, Togo did fulfil all three fixtures, failing to qualify for the second round of
the competition.
Music
Bellow is Togo's best-known musician. Her career began after representing her country in 1966 at the Dakar Arts Festival. She began a career singing
love-oriented ballads in 1969, when she worked with Togolese-French producer
Gérard Akueson and soon appeared on French
national radio and then the prestigious Olympia Music Hall. She toured across much of
the world before dying in a car accident in 1973, just after recording
the hit collaboration with Manu Dibango "Sango Jesus Christo".
In Bellow's wake came a wave of female singers, including Mabah, Afia Mala, Fifi Rafiatou and Ita Jourias. Other musicians include the
afore-mentioned Jimi Hope and internationally known performer King Mensah. Mensah, a former performer at the Ki-Yi M'Bock Theatre in Abidjan,
toured Europe and Japan before opening his own show in French Guiana
and then moving to Paris and formed a band called Favaneva. Jimi Hope is known for politically incisive lyrics
and an innovative rock-based style. Togolese folk music includes a great
variety of percussion-led dance music.
Folk songs are typically in the Ewe language,
but are also in Fon and Yoruba.
There are folk songs for fishermen in the south of the country, sometimes
accompanied by bells and gongs. Other folk
instruments include the flute and the bow .
Dances include the
southern royal djokoto, the war dances kpehouhuon and atsina, the hunters' dance adewu, the stilt dance tchebe, the miming masseh, as well as regional dances like the coastal sakpate and the kaka. Drums are played all over Togo, and are
used to celebrate all the major events of one's life, such as marriage and
baptism. Drums are also used religiously, by both Christians and Muslims, for
festivals like the Expesoso or Yeke Yeke festival. There are numerous
rhythms in Togo, with each area having its own special beat. There are also numerous forms
of drums, with OxFam noting, in the Aneho district alone, agbadja, ageche, aziboloe,
kple, amedjeame, akpesse, grekon, blekete
and adamdom drums.
Sung-suk Suh