Togo was one of the two African countries I wanted to get to know well (the other was Comoros). Why? Because nobody else knows anything about them. Togo and Comoros symbolize the most unseen and unheard-of African countries. Even Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea are better known. Who the hell has ever heard of Togo or Comoros? I bet even the residents of those two countries haven’t heard of them!
I wanted to become the world’s foremost authority on Togo
Whenever CNN needed a Togo guru, they would call me. Sure, I would get only one call per century, but it would be worth it.
To become a Togo connoisseur, I had planned to milk my one-month visa in this country that is the size of West Virginia. I would probably set a world record by spending one month in Togo.
Unfortunately, my wretched, unfixable truck delayed me so much in West Africa that I had only two days to get through Togo. My dreams were shattered. When Togo finally makes the headlines, I wouldn’t even get a call from Fox News.
Few humans can find Togo on a world map
Don’t feel bad: many Togolese can’t find it either.
Indeed, millions of Africans can’t even find Africa on a world map!
Throughout my journey, I would ask Africans to show me their continent on a world map.
Two things surprised me:
First, many Africans had to think about it, and some still got it wrong.
Second, nobody was insulted by my question. Europeans would storm away if you had the nerve to ask them to find Europe on a world map.
While researching The Hidden Europe, I studied hundreds of global surveys to see how each Eastern European country ranked on various metrics. I always wondered which country topped a survey and which was dead last.
Several times Togo ranked at the bottom of the world.
For example:
- Only 36 percent of Togolese “smiled and laughed a lot” the previous day—the world’s lowest rate.
- It was also last in Gallup’s Optimism Index.
- They had the world’s least confidence in the healthcare system.
When they weren’t last, they were often near the bottom. Given how dour Eastern Europeans can be, I expected the Togolese to be suicidal.
While I wasted hours negotiating with the Ghanaian border authorities, I met a Togolese man named Maoko. He seemed neither depressed nor suicidal. On the contrary, he smiled and laughed often.
Maybe it’s because he had just returned from a blissful vacation in Ghana and had yet to get dragged down by the morbid Togolese. Or perhaps the Togolese are happier than the surveys say.
I was eager to meet as many of the ten million Togolese as possible.
You just read the opening of Chapter 14 of my upcoming book, The Unseen Africa. It's a draft, so the final chapter may change. I asked ChatGPT to "write facts about Togo in the style of Francis Tapon." Below, you can read what it produced:
Togo is a small, but vibrant country on the western coast of Africa. Its diverse cultural heritage, characterized by traditional festivals like the Epe Ekpe and Evala wrestling competition, has always fascinated outsiders. Togo boasts an area of approximately 57,000 square kilometers, with a population of around 8 million people, making it one of the smallest countries in the region.
Togo's economy is largely based on agriculture, with most of its citizens involved in subsistence farming. The country is a significant producer of coffee, cotton, and cocoa, while its phosphate reserves account for a considerable portion of its exports. Visitors are drawn to Togo's numerous attractions, including its stunning beaches, wildlife reserves, and historical sites like the Togoville slave trade fortress. However, despite its rich natural resources, Togo remains one of the poorest nations in the world, with high unemployment and poverty rates. But, the tenacity and resourcefulness of its people give one hope for a better future.
