Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Christianity and Islam are the main religions in Togo - in the south and north respectively.
However, a majority of the population have voodoo beliefs, which are strongest in the
southeast.
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The Arts
Batik and wax printing is popular throughout Togo, but the most well-known textile is the
Ewe kente cloth, which is less brilliantly coloured than the Ashanti version.
Music and dance play an important part in Togolese daily life. Today, traditional music
has fused with contemporary West African, Caribbean and South American sounds, creat-
ing a hybrid that includes highlife, reggae and soukous. Togo's most famous singing ex-
port was Bella Bellow, who, before her death in 1973, ruled the local music scene, toured
internationally and released a recording,
Album Souvenir
. Nowadays, King Mensah is
Togo's best-known artist, at home and abroad.
The fortified Tamberma compounds in Koutammakou are some of the most striking
structures in West Africa.
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Food & Drink
Togolese dishes, some of the best in West Africa, are typically based, as in much of the re-
gion, on a starch staple such as
pâte
(a dough-like substance made of corn, manioc or
yam) accompanied by sauce. Some Togolese specialities are
fufu
(cooked and puréed yam
served with vegetables and meat),
djenkoumé
(a
pâte
made with cornflour cooked with
spices and served with fried chicken) and
pintade
(guinea fowl).
Common snacks include:
aloko
(fried plantain),
koliko
(yam chips),
gaou
(bean-flour
fritters) and
wagasi
(a mild cheese fried in hot spice). You'll also find fresh fruit every-
where you go.
Togo has its fair share of generic (Flag, Castel, Lager) and local brews.
Tchoukoutou
(fermented millet) is the preferred tipple in the north. Elsewhere, beware of
sodabe,
a ter-
rifyingly potent moonshine distilled from palm wine.
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