Global Voices » Togo

Togo : Presidential Patrimony versus University Facilities

Abdoulaye Bah — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:03:53 +0000

Commenting on the declaration of assets of the new French President Francois Hollande, Jeogo wrote [fr]: “What is certain is that the patrimony of Francois Hollande (..) is no match for the patrimony of the “big shots “of the Togolese Republic (..) yet the crowded university is still without air-conditioned computer rooms; one room is equipped with a score of old computers that are not connected to the internet and where a power outage often ends the class sessions.”

Togo: Human Rights Organizations Pressure President Gnassingbé

Sarah Cooper — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:48:13 +0000

[All links forward to blog posts in French unless stated otherwise]

For the second consecutive time in 2012, the Organisations de défense des droits de l’homme (Organizations for the Defense of Human Rights - ODDH) expressed their discontent with the prevailing socio-political situation in Togo. On February 11, leaders, members and supporters of the ODDH marched to the presidential palace in Lomé.

Mr. Zeus Ajavon, a lawyer and president of the Collectif des associations contre l’impunité (Collective of Associations Against Impunity - CACIT) explains [fr] the rationale behind this second protest march:

Le 12 janvier, nous avions organisé une première marche et nous avons fait une série de revendications et de recommandations que nous avons envoyé au gouvernement et au chef de l’Etat lui-même de, nous attendions des réponses ou des signes mais jusqu’alors silence radio.

On January 12, we organized a first march and we laid out a series of demands and recommendations, which we sent to the government and to the head of state himself. We were waiting for a response or a sign of acknowledgment, but so far radio silence.

The ODDH have once again introduced several recommendations published here on Togosite in their entirety.

The Togolese information site MO5 [fr] speaks of thousands of protesters and recounts how the protest unfolded up until the end of meeting [fr]:

La marche des Organisations de défense des droits de l’Homme (ODDH) a mobilisé plusieurs milliers de personnes à travers les rues de Lomé ce samedi. Parti de Bè aux cris de « ça suffit ! Sauvons le Togo », le cortège des manifestants à la tête duquel se trouvaient les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme a sillonné trois heures durant plusieurs artères de la capitale avant de chuter à la plage de Lomé en face du palais de la présidence de la République…

The Organizations for the Defense of Human Rights (ODDH) march mobilized several thousand individuals throughout the streets of Lomé this Saturday. Departing from Bè to cries of “We've had enough! Let's save Togo,” the train of protesters with the human rights advocates at its head criss-crossed the thoroughfares of the capital for three hours before halting at the Lomé beach in front of the presidential palace…

Frome the outset, Zeus Ajavon, lawyer and president of the CACIT, welcomed the protesters on behalf of the coordinators. He thanked them for their active participation because, as he put it, “all together united the Togolese people will be able to save Togo.”

Togolese journalists protesting via M-Togo.com (with permission)

Miss Fabbi Kouassi of “SOS journaliste en danger” (SOS Journalist in Danger) read the ODDH declaration [fr] for her own part. The declaration testifies to the silence with which the country's authorities have responded to the first ODDH march last January 12:

Les ODDH soussignées estiment que la recrudescence de ces traitements vils et rétrogrades, consistant à infliger à des personnes des souffrances particulièrement aiguës pour leur faire extorquer des aveux, conjuguée avec l’impunité, constituent une entrave grave à l’enracinement de l’Etat de droit, au développement et par conséquent à l’épanouissement normal de la personne humaine en général et du citoyen togolais en particulier.

The undersigned ODDH judge that the renewed outbreak of these vile and outdated practices - which consist of subjecting people to people particularly acute sufferings in order to extract confessions and of acting with impunity - seriously hinder the growth of the rule of law and the development of the country, and as a result threaten to prevent the Togolese people from flourishing as human beings in general and as Togolese citizens in particular.

Jil-Bénoit Afangbédji once again reminded her interlocuters of the ODDH demands.

Ferdinand Ayité, the president of “SOS Journaliste en danger” related how he witnessed the attempted kidnapping of journalist Marx-Savi Carmel [fr] of Tribune d’Afrique (the African Tribune) while he was investigating a sex scandal that implicated the president of the National Assembly, El Hadj Abass Bonfoh”.

Two Togolese blogs, Pa-lunion, and the “unofficial site of the Togolese republic“ reported that political parties called on their supporters to take part in the demonstration, following the many others that had already taken place:

La Convention Démocratique des Peuples Africains (CDPA, opposition) de Léopold Gnininvi et l’Organisation pour Bâtir dans l’Union un Togo Solidaire (OBUTS, opposition) de l’ancien Premier ministre Agbéyomé Kodjo ont appelé jeudi, leurs militants à sortir massivement samedi prochain pour la « marche pacifique » des Organisations de défense des droits de l’homme (ODDH) prévue à Lomé pour « dire non aux violations récurrentes des droits de l’Homme ».

Thursday, the Convention Démocratique des Peuples Africains (Democratic Convention of African Peoples - CDPA, opposition) under the leadership of Léopold Gnininvi and the Organisation pour Bâtir dans l’Union un Togo Solidaire (Organization for Constructing a United Togo within the Union - OBUTS, opposition) under the leadership of former prime minister Agbéyomé Kodjo, called upon their supporters to turn out en masse next Saturday for the Organizations for the Defense of Human Rights (ODDH)'s “peaceful march” taking place in Lomé in order to “say no to recurrent human rights violations.”

Togo: Public hearings for the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission

Abdoulaye Bah — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:12:25 +0000

Ayetan Charles wrote [fr]: “Beyond the formal proceedings, the public and the private hearings on the Commission on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation (CVJR), it is once again possible for the population to listen to other revelations about the political violence that the country experienced from 1958 to 1960. “

Italy: African workers renew their call for open dialogue

Ylenia Gostoli — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:29:28 +0000

Following the murder of two Senegalese men in Florence, Italy, migrant African workers released an open letter on the web [it] to renew their call for dialogue with citizens of Rosarno, where in January 2010 violent riots took place. ‘Those that in the past few days have spread fear when talking about us will be held accountable.’ they write. ‘We’re here to work and contribute to the development of this town and region.’

African Bloggers React To UNESCO's Admission Of Palestine

Patricia Worth — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:44:19 +0000

[All links lead to French language pages except when otherwise noted]

The admission of Palestine as a full member of UNESCO on 31 October 2011 has prompted an intense debate, with people taking very different stands. Africans from the continent as well as the diaspora have also taken an active part in the debate online. However, whether they agreed or disagreed with Palestine's admission to UNESCO, the different sides have often projected the debate onto the internal problems of their own countries.

UNESCO admits Palestine. Photo by Salaam Shalom on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The site ouestaf.com reveals which African countries abstained from voting:

Trois pays ouest africains figurent dans le lot des abstentionnistes : Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Togo. Ils constituent avec le Cameroun, l’Ouganda, la Zambie et le Rwanda les seuls pays africains à n’avoir pas voté en faveur de la résolution faisant de Palestine un Etat membre à part entière de l’Unesco.

Three West African countries figure among the non-voters: Ivory Coast, Liberia and Togo. With Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda, these three are the only African countries to have voted against the resolution to make Palestine a full member state of UNESCO.

Each of the countries that chose to abstain gave its official reasons, which bloggers then quickly tore apart. The site amaizo.info published an article giving valid reasons for most of the countries:

En réalité, ces pays ont en commun d’assurer une partie de leur sécurité rapprochée jusqu’au niveau des gardes présidentielles avec Israël sans compter les aides économiques.

Ces « neutralistes » se cachent derrière l’obligation de réserve au lieu d’expliquer qu’ils sont tous directement ou indirectement tributaires du soutien des pays qui ne veulent pas entendre parler d’un Etat Palestinien pour le moment. Nommons Israël, les Etats-Unis, le Canada et la Colombie, etc. La France a voté en faveur de l’adhésion de la Palestine à l’UNESCO, mais annonce qu’elle s’abstiendra au Conseil de Sécurité.

In reality, these countries have a common purpose in ensuring part of their security, up to the level of presidential guards, with Israel, not counting economic aid.

The ‘neutral ones' hide behind the duty to preserve secrecy, instead of explaining that they are all directly or indirectly dependent on the support of countries that, for the moment, don't want to hear about a Palestinian state. Just to name some: Israel, the United States, Canada, Colombia etc. France voted in favour of Palestine joining UNESCO, but announced that it would abstain from the Security Council.

Explaining the position of Ivory Coast, the only African country run by a Muslim president to have opted for abstention, S. Débailly writes in an article entitled “Palestine in UNESCO / Ivory Coast abstains from voting - Why Alassane Ouattara didn't say yes to Nicolas Sarkozy”, published by abidjan.net:

Une source au ministère d’Etat, ministère des Affaires étrangères reconnaît que la pression a été forte. Mais, ajoute-t-elle, elle est restée fidèle à sa nouvelle ligne de conduite dictée par la recherche de la paix par la négociation et la volonté de préserver les amitiés avec tous les Etats du monde. Un peu comme la philosophie diplomatique du père fondateur [Félix Houphouët-Boigny], à savoir : ‘’la Côte d’Ivoire, amie de tous, ennemie de personne’’.

A source in the state ministry, the Foreign Affairs ministry, acknowledges that the pressure has been strong. But, she adds, Ivory Coast has remained faithful to her new line of conduct dictated by the search for peace through negotiation and the desire to preserve friendships with all the world's governments. A bit like the diplomatic philosophy of the founding father (Félix Houphouët-Boigny), that is, “Ivory Coast, friend of all, enemy of no one”.

But Roch Tieh, a resident of Sétif in Morocco, commenting on that article, has quite a different explanation, more personal, for President Abdourahmane Dramane Ouattara (ADO):

Loin de partager l'avis de la plupart des frères qui sont intervenus sur ce sujet, j'ai une autre vision de la chose. Je risque de choquer certains, mais pour ceux qui me voient souvent prendre position pour ADO, je dirai ici (Sans en avoir la preuve) que le vote de notre Pays a été influencé, par la Première Dame (Que je respecte beaucoup). Elle serait d'origine Juive et donc comme le dit l'Agade: Ce qui Femme veut, DIEU le veut aussi. Notre Président a demandé que notre Pays s'abstienne, si on ne peut pas voter pour l'adhésion de la Palestine à l'Unesco, il faut rester neutre. C'est sage de sa part et il n'y a pas de Palabres inutiles à la maison.

Far from sharing the advice of most of the brothers who intervened on this subject, I have a different view of things. I risk shocking some people, but for those who see me often taking a stand for ADO, I will say here (without having any proof) that our country's vote was influenced by the First Lady (for whom I have a lot of respect). She would be of Jewish origin, thus as Agade says: What Woman wants, GOD also wants. Our president asked that our country abstain; if we cannot vote for Palestine to become a member of UNESCO, we must remain neutral. For his part, it's wise; there'll be no endless, useless discussions at home.

A story written by Alain Noah Awana of the journal Le Messager (The Messenger) on cameroon-info.net agrees with the previous analysis on why Cameroon also abstained:

Joint sur son téléphone portable alors qu'il se trouvait à Paris, le Pr. Messanga Nyamding donne les trois raisons qui, selon lui, ont poussé le Cameroun sur la voie de l'abstention….En filigrane, on peut comprendre que le pays a choisi la neutralité pour ne pas attirer les foudres de la communauté internationale, notamment celles des Etats-Unis. Deuxièmement, il se pourrait que le Cameroun ait voulu éviter de «frustrer» un pays ami. Là, le professeur parle d'Israël, qui était formellement opposé à l'admission de la Palestine à l'Unesco. «Le Cameroun a de très bonnes relations avec Israël, sur les plans économique et militaire. C'est un partenaire privilégié que nous n'avons pas voulu frustrer», argue-t-il. Enfin, et c'est la troisième raison, la position du Cameroun tient lieu du fait que c'est un pays très attaché aux groupes du tiers monde et des non alignés. «Nous avons donc choisi la voie du milieu, en attendant qu'il y ait visibilité. Et c'est d'ailleurs ce que le chef de l'Etat a toujours prôné», appuie-t-il.

Calling from his mobile phone while he was in Paris, Professor Messanga Nyamding gave three reasons which, according to him, drove Cameroon along the abstention path … It is implicit that we understand that this country chose neutrality in order not to attract angry responses from the international community, particularly the United States. Secondly, it might be that Cameroon wanted to avoid ‘frustrating' a friendly country. Here, the professor is talking about Israel, which was formally opposed to admitting Palestine to UNESCO. “Cameroon has very good relations with Israel, on economic and military levels. It's a special relationship that we don't want to trample on,” he argues. Finally, the third reason is that Cameroon's position is a substitute for the fact that it's a country that's very attached to third world and non-aligned groups. “So we have chosen the middle road, while waiting for things to become clearer. And this is, may I add, what the head of state has always advocated,” he insists.

These explanations don't seem to convince Massaknowall, who makes the following remarks in the comment section:

La garde rapprochée de Biya est formée par les israëliens ceci explique peut-être cela tout simplement

Biya's bodyguard is composed of Israelis; perhaps this might be a simpler explanation.

In a comment on a story by Justin Daboné, entitled “Palestine in UNESCO: Those American anti-democrats”, which appeared on the online site for L'Observateur Paalga in Burkina Faso, a reader named Osiris wrote, addressing President Obama:

vous devez user de votre influence pour amener les durs d' Israel à mettre un peu d'eau dans leurs vins§ beaucoup d'Israeliens ont payé de leur vie et idem pour les palestiniens ! Il est temps de donner un état à ce peuple.

You have to use your influence to bring the tough guys from Israel to put a little water in their wine. A lot of Israelis have paid with their life and ditto for the Palestinians! It's time to give this people a state.

Clive Chanda finds another reason for Zambia's abstention [en]:

… in 1991, several Jewish Rabbis, came to Zambia, and held a press conference at one of the top hotels in Lusaka, I forget which one. At this conference, they said that God Almighty had told them that there was a lost tribe of Jews in northern Zambia.

Another comment by Yambayamba published on zambianwatchdog.com draws conclusions [en] which sum up the point of view of many Africans:

Palestinians have suffered long enough. Telling Israel this truth does not mean, or should it ever be interpreted as being ANTI JEWISH. Good friends tell friends the truth. Sometimes truth is hard to hear, but it is the truth nonetheless. Because for how long are the Israelis going to sustain the current existing “status quo” between them and their neighbors, the Palestinians? The earlier they deal with this issue, the less physical and psychological damage it is going to cause to future generations in that part of the world.

Togo: Another Tragedy Strikes the Togolese Football World

Lova Rakotomalala — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:26:28 +0000

Nadege Mambe mourns the third tragic loss [fr] for the Togolese football world in 5 years. After the plane crash in Sierra Leone that took the live of the Minister of Sports 5 years ago and the attack of the team bus in Cabinda by Angolese separatist guerillas in 2010, 8 players from the defending national champion l' Etoile Filante de Lomé [fr] died when the team bus capsized and burnt on their way to the town of Sokodé a couple of days ago.

Togo: 3rd BarCamp Selects the Translation for “Blog” in Ewé Language

Suzanne Lehn — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:07:02 +0000

In its presentation of the third edition of BlogCamp Togo, togocouleurs explains that [fr] the Togolese blogosphere coined a new word for “blog” in the Ewé language (spoken in Togo, Ghana and Benin) : “with the vote taking place directly on the ETTIC [fr] ('Togolese Space for Information and Communication Technologies') Facebook wall, the neologism « Nyablog » was chosen by the majority of voters as the translation for blog (ahead of other options such as kaméhoma, kamégbalé or kamégnakaka).

Togo: Journalists Rally to Protect Free Press

Lova Rakotomalala — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:14:05 +0000

On August 6, 2011, journalists in the West African country of Togo rallied in the streets of capital Lomé [fr] to protest against the threats that their colleagues received recently. The rally was launched on August 3, by the association ‘SOS Journalistes en Danger' (SOS Journalists in Danger).

Banner of the 'SOS Journalistes en Danger' Association in Togo

The week prior to the event, several media professionals in the association warned against threats sent to a group of Togolese journalists that were believed to be “critical of the power in place.”

According to Ferdinand Ayité, the president of the association, the threats originated from the ANR, the National Intelligence Agency. The details of the threats, are reported on Fabbi Kouassi 's blog as follows [fr]:

..porter atteinte à l’intégrité physique des journalistes, notamment par les moyens d’accidents déguisés, les empoisonnements, et des affaires montées de toute pièce.

..aimed at physically harming the journalists, specifically via faked accidents, poisoning and made-up stories.

According to leaders of the association, the threats were later confirmed by an anonymous letter, presumably written by an agent of the ANR and addressed to the journalists who already were targeted on July 21.

The rally was supported by human rights advocacy group, unions, some political parties and various local newpapers.

In a joint statement, the UJIT (Union of Independent Journalists of Togo), the CONAPP (National Council of Press Writers) and the OTM (Togolese Media Observatory) have called upon CNDH, the National Comission for Human Rights, to open an investigation on the matter and encourage their threatened colleagues to go to court so that light can be shed on the issue.

Print media in Togo via Godwin Afedo

On Togoforum, a review of the past events [fr] details the timeline of the issue and the procedure that the association followed:

Les responsables de l’Union des Journalistes Indépendants du Togo (UJIT), le Conseil National des Patrons de Presse (CONAPP) et l’Observatoire Togolais des Médias (OTM) ont rencontré :
- Dans la journée du Mercredi 27 Juillet 2011, le Ministre de la Sécurité et de la Protection Civile et celui de la Communication
-Dans la journée du Vendredi 29 Juillet 2011, le Président de la HAAC au siège de l’Institution,
-Dans la journée du Lundi 1er Août 2011, le Président de la CNDH, le Ministre de la Communication une seconde fois, la Ministre des Droits de l’Homme, de la Consolidation de la démocratie et de la Formation Civique et le Directeur de la Communication de la Présidence de la République du Togo à leurs bureaux.
[..]
Ces responsables ont au cours de ces différentes rencontres exprimé leur inquiétude sur les menaces qui pèseraient sur certains de leurs confrères avant d’inviter les Autorités à réellement s’impliquer dans la sécurité et la protection de tous les journalistes.

The leaders of the UJIT, CONAPP and OTM met with:
-The Minister of Communication and the Minister of Security on July 27
- The President of the HAAC on July 29
- The President of the CNDH, the Minister of the Communication ( for a second time) the Minister of the Human Rights, Democracy Consolidation, and Civil Formation and the Director of Communication for the Office of the President of Togo.

[..] During these conversations, the leaders expressed their worries regarding the threats aimed at their colleagues and invited the authority to commit and do more for the protection of all journalists

The objective of the rally was to denounce the clear abuse against the freedom of press. They intend to organize more rallies in the coming days to ensure the protection of free press in Togo. In addition to this issue, the ANR has been implicated in a wave of other human rights violations.

Togo: 8-Digit Telephone Numbers

Claire Ulrich — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:58:31 +0000

Le blog de Toussine reminds readers that as of August 8, 2011, Togo telecom have switched [fr] to 8-digit landline and mobile telephone numbers. “A modification that requires updating contacts in Togo.”

Africa : Delicious Peanut

Thalia Rahme — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:29:08 +0000

Nadia Khouri-Dagher writes a post on afrik.com [fr] where she praises the peanut, a condiment that has been integrated in most African cuisines: “Senegalese Chicken Mafé, Malian Peanuts Tiguadegue sauce, Ghanean Inkatse-abè sauce, Togolese Azindéssi sauce, Beninese Aziin nusunnu sauce, Congolese moambe chicken, Peanut rougail from Reunion Islands,… : The peanut or goober composes a wide array of dishes and popular and delicious in the majority of Sub-Saharan African countries !”

Togo: Fragile Truce Emerges After Five Weeks of Student Protests

Julie Owono — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:57:12 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.

West African country Togo's students' struggle for better education conditions is now in its fifth week and despite a recent truce, tensions remains high in the capital Lomé.

A wind of appeasement seemed to blow on the demonstrations organized by the Mouvement pour l'Épanouissement des Étudiants Togolais - MEET (Movement for the Fulfillment of Togolese Students), when students managed to obtain from authorities the reinstatement [fr] of the president of their association on June 30. Abou Seidou, a student of the University of Lomé, had been previously expelled for allegedly causing troubles on the campus.

This reinstatement was expected to open the way to negotiations. Despite this first symbolic victory however, and despite the subsequent call from MEET to not demonstrate on Friday July 1, 2011, a fringe of the student population decided to maintain the pressure on the government and went to protest.

The July 1, 2011 demonstration in Lomé, Togo. Image by Morgan Coolpot Bello on Facebook.

Charles Le Bon, a local blogger [fr], describes in a post written on the following day the events of the July 1, 2011, demonstration. According to him:

en craignant que cette journée ne soit un vendredi noir, vu le soutien de la quasi totalité des parti politiques, de la société civile et des organisations de défenses des droits de l’homme, le gouvernement est revenu dans la nuit du jeudi 30 juin sur la décision d’exclure pour six (6) ans le président du MEET.

Fearing that this day would be a Black Friday, considering the support from almost all the political parties, civil society and human rights defense organisations, the government went back on its decision to expel the president of MEET for six years.

A violent scene showing security forces beating up a student was filmed on July 1 and posted on YouTube on July 4, by Sylvio Combey, a Togolese journalist. Combey claims that he also was beaten up by public forces while shooting the video. At 0:25 minutes you can hear a policeman, asking him in French to hand over his camera, which the journalist refuses to do, saying “Why, because I am working?”:

Meanwhile, Togolese students still have not won out their main demands for better education conditions, among them an increase in and the payment of their grants.

This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.

West Africa: Cocoa - Two Figures Sum It Up

Laura Venables — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:21:11 +0000

Nadia Khouri-Dagher observes in her article about the journey of the cocoa bean [fr] on afrik.com that: “West Africa represents 70% of world cocoa production, but only 3% of world cocoa consumption.”

Togo: $200,000 aid for Japan

Patricia Worth — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 08:23:23 +0000

On 24^th June 2011 the Togolese blogger, Sylvio Combey, denounced on his blog [fr]: ”[The president] Faure Gnassingbé has given $200,000 (about 92 million CFA francs) to a country [Japan] which is suffering great losses and paying the consequences of its nuclear policy. You just have to look at the economic gap between Japan and Togo, a country where more than 62.3% of the people have an income of less than $2 US per day (about 1000 CFA francs), to wonder whether you should laugh or cry.”

Togo: 8 digits phone numbers coming soon

Claire Ulrich — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:35:01 +0000

“Starting August 7, 2011, at 00.00 GMT, a new 8 digits telephone dialing system will be implemented in Togo.” Louis Bararmna on African News details what this will change for users [Fr] when calling landlines and mobile phones in Togo.

Togo: The Regime facing the Media

Rhita Boufelliga — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:49:39 +0000

Bernard Bokodjin wrote [Fr] on his blog pambazuka.org: “In a country where the opposition is not strong enough [yet] nor well structured to counterweigh a repressive regime that violates the principles of democracy and good governance, the press remains one of the spaces where freedom of expression can counter the drift.”