In Africa's only fetish market - at least that's what we were told - there are dozens of stalls with dead animals and talismans prepared by voodoo priests. These are called fetishes.
Each animal is used for a different application, i.e. a different disease. What and how much of the animal is needed and in which procedure it is ingested, administered, or sacrificed, is learned in conversation with a priest.
The fetishes also have specific and different spheres of action. In a ceremonial act with the voodoo priest, they receive their energy and their connection new owner.
Togo
This rather small country of West Africa had a lot in store for us in just a few days. Since the north of the country was taboo due to religiously motivated insecurities, our trip was limited to the southern part, around the capital Lomé and a Swiss-supported model farm a few hundred kilometers north of it.
Togo is considered one of the strongholds of the natural religion of voodoo, which we investigated further. The country has one of the worst developed health systems in the whole of Africa. The connection of the people to nature and spiritual remedies is still strong.
The model farm in Donomadé was the first NGO set up and co-financed by foreign countries on our journey so far, as we had deliberately concentrated on projects by Africans for Africa. We only deviated from this because of a personal invitation of an NGO employee.
Fetish market Akodésséwa
Lived natural medicine
At almost every market in Togo, you will find stalls of elderly women overflowing with plants, shrubs, nuts, roots and already ground substances. These are the country's natural healers, who can be found at the stalls and have the right medicine for every physical or mental complaint. They advise, care for and accompany the residents in the immediate vicinity of the market with their naturopathic knowledge acquired over generations.
Happy Togo - Model farm in Donomadé
After his community service in Togo, a young Swiss man founded this model farm in Donomadé. Putting into practice innovative and holistic approaches - permaculture, involvement of the local population and the production of organic products - he tries to counteract the existing subsistence economy. On site, Togolese with the necessary basic knowledge manage the farm. Young people from neighbouring villages are integrated into the project in a targeted manner. The current farm manager was supported as a young person, accompanied during his studies and given the opportunity to take acquire a leadership role in his community, secure that he had the necessary expertise for this position.
Market hustle and bustle in Togo
Once a week, markets are held in all the larger villages in West Africa. At these markets, you can find live animals, vegetables, and other staple foods, as well as imported goods such as bags, clothes and so on. The markets are meeting places for the local population and, especially for young people, a good opportunity to enjoy time together, besides school and the strict work routine at home.
Liquor from the bush
On our visit to a typical West African village in Togo, we found a handful of elderly men sitting in front of a very makeshift looking shed. They were already well buzzed shortly after midday, which aroused our curiosity.
They had been busy for a few days distilling liquor from the local fruit, mainly pineapple, and of course doing extensive quality control on a regular basis. It was not possible for us to find out details on the quality or degree of how much alcohol was contained in the “fire water”, we could only rely on our tasting abilities to determine the levels!
Togo's Landscapes
The south of Togo impresses with its green landscapes and its beautiful sandy beaches on the coast. Few asphalted roads lead through the country. Away from the main axes, well-maintained natural roads can be found.
