Touring Togo Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bight of Benin

The west coast of the African continent lies on the Atlantic Ocean. The big gulf on the west coast is called the Gulf of Guinea, and on the northern end of that is a smaller indentation in the coast called the Bight of Benin, running along the coasts of Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.

The Bight of Benin was infamous as a main source of slaves for the slave trade between the 16th to the 18th centuries, causing the area to be given the nickname of 'The Slave Coast'.

Answer: Twins

The Yoruba people have a much higher rate of non-identical twins than is usual - so much so that the Nigerian Yoruba town of Igbo-ora has been nicknamed the 'twin capital of the world'. Twins are considered to share a single soul, so if one of them dies young (an all-too-common event in this part of the world), the balance of the spirit is thrown out. To keep the soul intact for its passage on to the next body, a carving of twins is made, and the part of the soul that belonged to the dead twin is captured in the figurine.

The figurine is then treated as a member of the household, and the surviving twin's soul is reunited with its other half.

Answer: Cassava

Cassava, also called manioc, mogo and yuca, is a shrub with a starchy tuberous root that provides the main source of carbohydrate for countries near Togo. The root must be properly cooked, as the plants contain toxins, in varying amount depending on the exact species and its age at harvesting. Most Togolese rely on subsistence farming, so the members of the village share the work of raising the crop, and share the food produced. As well as cassava, major crops include maize, yams, sorghum, pearl millet and groundnut.

There are actually a range of species referred to in West Africa as cassava. They have a variety of plant structures, with some being herbaceous, and some much more woody. What they have in common is the starchy root which is often used to make the ubiquitous fufu. The root is boiled and ground to a paste, which may then be eaten as is or formed into balls and cooked in a stew or soup. In Togo, this use of the root is called Akume. The sauce may include fish (near the coast) or other meat, along with stewed greens.

Answer: Region

From north to south, the five regions are Savanes, Kara, Centrale, Plateaux and Maritime. The regions are further divided into 30 prefectures and one commune (the capital city of Lome). Savanes is the only region that has a border with Burkina Faso; the others all border Ghana on the west and Benin on the east.

The north of Togo is semiarid, while the southern parts are tropical and humid. The administrative regions somewhat align themselves with the Togolese topography: rolling savanna in the north (with some rugged mountains in the extreme northwest), hills in the centre, a plateau in the south, and a narrow coastal plain with lots of swampland.

Answer: Semasi

The picture was taken at the Adosa Festival in Sodoké, a festival during which young Kotokoli men run sharp knives over their stomachs, after having taken a special protective potion first. Semasi (also sometimes spelled Semassi) riders in traditional robes are a feature of the event.

The bright decorations on the horse reflect the influence of Islamic culture in the region - over two-thirds of the local populace are Muslims. The Semasi are renowned as fierce fighters, making them a suitable team name for the local football/soccer club.

Answer: Stable for livestock at night

These buildings seem to have evolved from neighboring houses extending into one another, commonly found in West Africa, by means of adding a covering roof to provide an upper floor. The main area of the ground floor is used to stable animals overnight, and the alcoves around the edge are used for cooking.

The upper floor contains sleeping quarters and grain storage (under the conical thatched roofs in the picture), as well as for drying grain in the sun on the flat-roofed portion. The conical structure on the ground outside the door is an altar - most of the Taberma people are animists.

Answer: Wrestling

The Kabye people have an annual initiation ritual which starts with a week-long isolation of the young men from their families in a special area, followed by a trek that involves climbing three mountains. Those who do not complete this first stage must wait another year to complete their initiation. The second stage is the wrestling competition, at which family honour is on the line. The final stage is circumcision.

Former President of Togo (from 1967 until he died in 2005) Gnassingbé Eyadema was Kabiyén, as is his son, who became President on his death. Possibly due to their important role, Kabiyé is a semi-official national language of Togo. French is the official language, and that of commercial activities.

Answer: Kente cloth

The weaving of kente cloth (the name comes from a word meaning basket) originated with the Akan people, an ethnic group found primarily in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, which has been taken up by other groups such as the Ewe people in Togo. Most weavers actually travel to Ghana to serve an apprenticeship of several years before returning home to ply their trade. Kente cloth was originally only worn by royalty, but its use has become widespread, and is probably one of the best-known African textiles around the world.

Answer: Object with supernatural power

The Portuguese used the term feitiço, from which the French fétiche evolved into the English fetish, to describe the practice of animists in West Africa of creating objects of power from such materials as blood, bones, fur, claws, feathers, gems, leaves, flowers, wood, and more. Different groups traditionally used different materials.

The use of fetishes is not confined to 'primitive' religions - one could argue that preserving (alleged) pieces of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, or trying to find the chalice used at the Last Supper, are manifestations of fetishism. Nevertheless, the term is usually applied to tribal rites in Western Africa, and the formalized religions that developed from them, such as Vodun (also called Voodoo).

Answer: Theatre company

The Kadam-kadam theatre company was founded in 1998 by Luc Koubidina Alanda, and performs all over Africa with modern productions based on traditional stories, dance and music from West Africa. The name comes from the Nawdm language of northern Togo, and means 'Move it - move it.'

The picture shows actors preparing for a performance of the piece "Timda M'Bala", an exploration of the darker side of the life of an important public official which starts after his funeral and explores the life that led up to that moment. Adapted and directed by Koubi'Alanda, the show features traditional music (including drums), dancing, chanting, and colourful costumes. If this show isn't running, there will be another of equal attraction!