Lome, Togo

We arrived in Togo on April 20^th and had decided that we would do a tour. After getting on to the bus and getting away from the port we could already see how different the West African countries were going to be from what we had seen in South Africa. The way of life here is very different from South Africa. The thing we noticed most was that there were so many children running around and out at the markets which you wouldn`t see as much in our earlier African ports. In Togo it is not mandatory for children to go to school so many of them end up helping their parents sell food or other items at the local markets.  Something else that we noticed was that there were more women out selling things than men. Our guide told us that Togo is very proud of their women and encourages them to sell food to make money for their families.  We went through the main part of town and got to see a really big local market. Our guide told us not to go there on our own because there is a lot of theft at them. The driver took us to the border of Togo and Ghana which was very busy with one of the biggest markets in the city. A lot of people come from Ghana to sell things at this market. One of the most common things we saw being sold were buns that would be put into a clear glass box that people would put on their head and then walk around with it. After the market we went to see a fishing net being brought in on the beach. Fishing is one of their main industries and a large part of their economy and all along the beach you can see men pulling in the nets. We saw about 20 men who would stand on opposite sides of each other and chant as they pulled in the net. We were told that it can take up to 3 hours to pull in the nets and that many locals gather around so they can buy the fish immediately and take it to the market to sell. After the beach they took us to a local market where they sold a lot of fabric and statues. You really have to be careful what you buy in these markets because a lot of them will use parts of animals like the Big Cats or ivory in their products. We also went to a very small museum that showed the history of the area and showed a lot of artifacts that had been recovered.

We then left this market for quite possibly our weirdest stop on our whole trip…to what is called a fetish market. Togo is the home of voodoo and it is very common for people to try and use special remedies to help sickness. We weren`t really sure what to expect at this market but we were warned before that if you touch something you bought it. According to voodoo tradition most things that they sell at the market have spirits inside of them still so when you touch them they feel that you have freed the spirit..so then you have to buy it since it’s no use to them anymore.  We pulled up to the market which was thankfully outside and there were a lot of children selling voodoo dolls and other little things. One boy came up to us and stuck this green lizard in front of us to see if we wanted to buy it. The market was almost all animal products with things like turtles, lizards, dried up snakes, a lot of antelope skulls and unfortunately Big Cat fur. The smell was nauseating and we only spent about 10 minutes outside because of it. Although it is routine for them and it is tradition for them it was really sad to see that so many animals had been killed to use in these ways…especially ones that are endangered. We talked to our guide while he was there and he asked us if we have things like this market at home and we said no which he seemed surprised about.  The market was definitely one of the most eye-opening experiences either of us has had while traveling. We have never been somewhere where tradition is so different then this market in Lome. After the market we went to see the fishing boats at the port which were getting ready to go out to sea and then it was back to the ship. 

Pulling in the fishing net

The Fetish Market