Customs and traditions
In Togo, the family, family and clan are most often the individual’s social safety net. In the countryside, the extended family functions as a social and economic entity, while in the cities it is common for every household to take care of themselves.
In the countryside you still live in traditional villages of various kinds. In the cities, those who can invest their savings on their own houses, often built from home-made bricks. The houses usually have a high wall all around and cooking is mostly done outdoors, even in the city.
- Countryaah: Overview of the capital city of Togo, including information about its population, economy, geography, history and map.
In the cooking section, it is the women who rule, but it is the man who is the head of the family and it is primarily the man who inherits his relatives. Sometimes the man gives a gift in the form of money or something else valuable to the woman’s parents when they get married and the man is then considered entitled to any children. However, it is the woman, both the mother and all other female family members, who take care of the children. Official polygamy is no longer so common (but men often have several women anyway).
Lifestyles and meals
Although many, especially in rural areas, still wear traditional African clothing, Western or Western-influenced clothing is becoming more common. In the countryside, it is considered successful that can afford sheet metal roofs on its house and telephone; In the cities, the western lifestyle is a sign of success. The traditional elite (usually in the countryside) include chiefs and voodoo priests; to the modern elite (mainly in the cities) are government officials, entrepreneurs and highly educated.
In Togo, one rarely sees public affection between the sexes; however, men / boys often hold each other’s hands. You look up to the elderly. A guest is greeted by a traditional greeting ceremony with many questions about the family and offer of water. In the countryside, where cutlery may not be used when eating, it is important to use only the right hand (the left is used for completely different things).
In Togo, you usually eat 2-3 times a day. The basis of all meals is something starchy like cassava, corn, rice, jams or plantains (a kind of banana that is cooked or deep-fried). For the main meal you eat something rich in protein, such as fish, goat and beef or beans in a spicy sauce. Many also eat fruits and vegetables. In the cities, French basic goods are common, like baguettes. At festive occasions, beverages such as beer, gin and the distilled palm wine sodabi are used.
National symbols and holidays
According to Abbreviationfinder, Togo’s flag consists of three green and two yellow longitudinal stripes and a red square with a white star in the middle in the upper left corner. Togo’s national anthem is called Terre de nos aïeux (“The Land of Our Ancestors”) and was adopted as a national anthem by the independence of France in 1960 (between 1979 and 1992, during Gnassingbé Eyadéma’s dictatorship, another national anthem was used). It is of course played on Independence Day on April 27, which is a holiday. According to Countryaah, other holidays are New Year’s Day, National Liberation Day on January 13 and Victory Day on January 24; May 1; Halloween day, November 1, and Christmas Day and more. In addition, a number of other Christian and Muslim celebrations are celebrated.
Funerals are important events and many spend large sums on a proper farewell to a beloved relative. The ceremonies, which can include anything from bands and choirs to football tournaments and banquets, can last for weeks.
2010
May
Cooperation with the opposition
President Gnassingbé and opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio enter into a government cooperation agreement. This causes the Olympics UFC party to split.
March
President Gnassingbé reelected
4th of March
In the presidential election, Faure Gnassingbé is re-elected. Parts of the opposition refuse to accept the result and demonstrate that the election should be re-elected. International election observers believe that the election was fair and that the shortcomings that have occurred have not affected the result.
January
Angolan rebels shoot Togo football national team
Two officials are killed when Togo’s national football team is shot by Angolan rebels in Cabinda during the African Championships. The Togo government forces the team to go home, which leads to Togo being excluded from the 2012 and 2014 championships.