History

Togo and Cameroon are the only countries in West and Central Africa to have been ruled by Germany, France and Britain. The Portuguese were the first Europeans on the scene but their interest was in trading goods for slaves. The Germans transformed the country's infrastructure, agriculture and economy in the thirty years prior to being overrun by the British and French in 1914. These powers shared administration until the French sector opted to be part of the French Union (1956) and British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast (1957).

The country won its independence in 1960 but suffered a number of military coups during the next decade. Gnassingbe Eyadéma ("The Guide") seized power "at the insistence of the people" in 1967. During the 1980s he was pragmatically pro-Western and his "African Switzerland" was much favoured by European visitors. However, uprisings and attempted coups sought to end his reign in the later 1980s, damaging the tourist industry. In the early 1990s student unrest, general strikes and protests at alleged election rigging and other misdemeanours resulted in looting sprees, shootings and the mass execution of hundreds of people. Many thousands of refugees fled to Ghana and Benin. The EU imposed sanctions, protesting against human rights violations.

President Eyadéma was returned to power in 1998 after elections of "breathtaking iniquity". They were followed by the proliferation of images of his ample personage on walls and in the media, as a perpetual reminder of his thirty years of powerful control. You won't find locals forthcoming about these or subsequent political events.

Economy

What you will find is a once flourishing industrial sector all but dead and an economy in tatters. The infrastructure has crumbled, foreign aid and investment has dried up and a severe recession has taken hold. Coffee, cocoa, cassava, maize and rice are grown and timber is harvested - nearly all for local consumption. Oil refining, food processing and the manufacturing of cement, beverages, textiles and handicrafts also support the local market. Some foreign exchange is earned through the mining of phosphates, bauxite, limestone, iron ore and marble, but not enough to bolster the economy.

Climate

One of the attractions for visitors in the early 1980s was the pleasant tropical climate. Tourists came in droves during the dry season (mid-July to mid-December) when rain was least likely to spoil their stay. (It does rain year-round in the south but most of it falls during March and June). Lomé averages about 875mm a year but in the north of the country the rainy season (May to September) generally has a lower yield, which doesn't deter visitors unless they're trying to drive up steep muddy mountain tracks.

The Country

Other draw-cards for holiday-makers were the white sandy beaches along the 56km-long coastline and the lagoons that stretch across the low-lying plains behind the coast. Hence the country's name - Togo in Ewe means "by the waters". Travelling north up this small but scenically diverse country (at 57,000km2, it's less than half the size of England) brought many visitors to the forested Atakora mountains. These offer magnificent hiking opportunities and stunning views from the top of the 986m Pic Baumann. Further north, a wide variety of mammals, including lion and elephant, can be seen in the country's two national parks. Surprisingly, baobabs (archetypal dry country trees) grow within 10km of the coast.

The People

Togo has one of the most heterogeneous populations in Africa. Its 4.5 million people are split into forty ethnic groups, follow three different sets of religious beliefs and speak over a dozen major and another three dozen minor languages. In the north are the Voltaic-speaking Hamitic peoples (Kabyé, Kamberma, Tehamba and Bassari). In the south the Ewes are divided into a multiplicity of local and district communities. They have linguistic and cultural links with Twi-speaking peoples such as the Akposo in central Togo, the Fon in east Togo and Benin and the Asante and Fante in Ghana. The Ewe are also the main producers of coffee and cocoa exports and the chief opposition to the President. About half Togo's people practise animist beliefs (including reincarnation), about one-third (mainly Ewe) are Christians and the remainder are Muslims. If you want to chat to locals, French (the official language) is probably your best bet as few traders can handle even rudimentary English.

Visiting

The country is linked to a number of European cities by air, but there is no domestic air service and the railway system is very limited, antiquated and laborious. Minibuses are the primary means of upcountry travel but numerous police checkpoints make journeys tedious. Old Peugeot 504s and minibus taxis are generally available in the towns but there are few buses. Around Lomé, Zemidjans (moped taxis) are common and convenient - if short on comfort and safety. International and local car rental agencies operate in Lomé and Kara.

Wining and Dining

You can get European-style food in the hotels and better class restaurants for a price. However, sampling the local cuisine in cafés and from street stands is to experience some of the best cooking in West Africa. Each major district has its own culinary specialities but common to all are the excellent sauces spiced with ginger, peppers, basil and mustard. These embrace fish, shellfish, various meats, poultry and a variety of vegetables such as tomatoes, small aubergines, beans, spinach and squash. When in the North try guinea fowl with groundnut sauce and a tossed salad or aeputi (a large bushrat) with koliko (deep friend yam chips). In the more expensive restaurants Cuisine Togolaise includes spicy fish (moutsella), shellfish (adokouin) and snails (ababo). Staple diets are based upon cassava (south), yams, cocoyams and sweet potatoes (in the plateau region), plantains (north) and rice, millet and sorghum along the coast. Frying is usually done in palm or sheanut oil. A variety of seasonal fruits is cheaply available.

Ease your meal down with palm wine, but remember the flatter it is the bigger the punch it carries. Alternatively you can try choucoutou, an opaque, fermented millet beer with a frothy head, or chacbalo, a filtered variety. For the conservative, BéBe, the local standard clear lager, is excellent and cheap. A wide range of splendidly fruity soft drinks is available.

Lomé and the Coast

Though it has broad streets radiating from the Grand Marché, and a high-rise central business area, most of Lomé feels more like a provincial town than a capital city. Goats and chickens fight for space with human and vehicular traffic along narrow sandy streets lined with two-storey colonial buildings, housing Lebanese shopkeepers and small import-export businesses. Most activity centres round the bustling markets, especially the Passage des Arts, where pressure-selling of carvings, bronzes, batiks, textiles and jewellery from across West Africa (at steep prices) takes place. There is also a fetish market, a very small museum and a good number of restaurants and hotels, many along the beach front.

Crime (sometimes violent) is prevalent and tourists are targeted for pickpocketing and mugging, so exercise precautions and don't walk out at night in Lomé. Take a taxi and be vigilant if visiting the lively nightclubs, bars and discos. And don't tangle with the Nanas Benz, well-organised women merchants so-named because of their favoured means of transport - they're politically influential.

The surf along the seafront is notoriously rough and, because of a strong undertow, dangerous. But the white sandy stretches, coconut groves and palm-shaded fishing villages nestling between the lagoons and the sea look postcard-perfect. Be aware that some beaches are used as toilets.

East of Lomé, on the bank of Lake Togo, is Togoville, an even more languid town with historically-interesting German and Portuguese edifices. The old colonial capital Aného is worth visiting for its lively beach and nightlife. The Friday market at Yogan is the largest and most colourful in Togo.

The Plateau Region

Thick, vine-strewn, stereotyped Tarzan jungle, and streams cascading down mountains, make this Togo's most beautiful rural backcountry. There are excellent hiking trails and you can see Ghana from the top of Mt. Klouto, which, at 741m, is very climbable.

The cascades of Kpimé Ayomé and Akloa are very high and quite spectacular and the variety of butterfly species is stunning. The towns of Badou, Kpalimé and Atakpané, which delineate the country's coffee-growing triangle, are studded with fruit orchards and palm plantations. The Centre Artisanal at Kpalimé is an excellent place to buy Kente cloth and watch its weavers at work in the streets. Whilst in the area, have a meal and perhaps stay overnight at the Benedictine Monastery - it's famous for its gastronomic products.

The Central Region

In the good old days visitors enjoyed the wildlife in Parc National du Fazao, but that has been decimated and there is little to see other than birds and monkeys. Hiking amongst the rocky hills, rivers and waterfalls in the Malfacassa Zone de Chasse is still excellent, but clearance from the warden is required. Local towns are not particularly exciting, although the annual yam (igname) festivals and Bessari Fire Dances at Bassar are fun. Bassar and Kara, to the north, are perhaps most noteworthy for their retention of traditional beliefs and practices. Sokodé, Togo's second largest town, has an active ambience in its markets and mosques but little else to excite the visitor. If stopping in Bafilo, have a look at the weavers and their work and perhaps take a trip out to see the Bafilo Falls and have a dip in the therapeutic pools.

The North

The northern region is largely harsh, semi-arid savannah that evokes the Sahel and the haunting presentiment of deadly drought. Its main attraction, the once excellent Parc National de la Keran, which straddles the main highway through the area, is a sad relic - its life wiped out by His Excellency'ssporting expeditions and indiscriminate military shoot-to-kill sweeps during troubled times. In contrast Kara, the President's hometown, has benefited from his favours and offers lively markets and much activity, in a pleasant setting. Of most interest are the Tamberma homes in the valleys around Kandé (Kabyé). These self-sufficient single-entrance settlements (tata) are built like small fortresses isolated from the outside world. Each comprises conically-roofed towers joined together by a wall surrounding a compound (soukala). The banco walls are built from clay, wood and straw without the use of tools.

Accommodation

Togo is one of the least expensive places in West Africa in which to lay your head. Except in Lomé, Kara and around Lake Togo, there is little luxury accommodation and air-con, phones and TVs are uncommon. There are a number of modest private and government-run lodgings - government resthouses (Affaires sociales) are particularly cheap. There are no youth hostels and very few missions offering a bed, but a number of campsites are sprinkled throughout the country.

Published in Travel Africa Edition Fifteen: Spring 2001 Text is subject to Worldwide Copyright (c)