West Coast of Africa, Togo
From the Hakuna Matata Cultural Center (I kid you not) to the Akato Viepe Village and ending the day at the Fetish Market, Togo was a day of intensity.
Walking off the National Geographic Explorer and being surrounded by dancers on stilts was the first sign that this day was going to be a bit different. These amazing athletes on stilts moved about in fluid motion, as passengers filed by them on the way to our buses. Musicians filled the air with pulsating rhythms to fill out the sensory scene.
Stopping at a local school, the interior of the classrooms was a study in soft color: the indirect light filtering into the rooms added to the overall warmth of the scene as the kids were dressed in light brown outfits which enhanced the sepia tone of the images caught on camera as well as forged in memory.
From the school to the village of Akato Viepe and the welcome by the village’s king, we spent time listening to the official welcome as well as watching the royal dances. Rhythm was rapidly becoming the hallmark of this day as well. A well-tended village full of very friendly people made for a wonderful visit.
Our afternoon continued with a stop at the Hakuna Matata Center for a presentation by famous Togolese puppeteer Danaye Kanlefei. The humor of the show was enhanced by the physical movement of the multitude of characters presented by the puppeteer. The other end of that spectrum of humor was established by our next stop: the Fetish Market. This “pharmacy” stocked all the appropriate and necessary ingredients for traditional remedies. From monkey skulls and serpent heads to dried birds and desiccated chameleon (and much, much more) we quickly realized we were certainly NOT in Kansas. But, isn’t this why we travel-to see that other side of life compared to our daily existence?
Our evening was highlighted by a performance by Togolese musician King Mensah in the lounge. Setting the equipment up in the lounge took me back to my rock and roll days: amps, cords and mikes along with roadies setting up the gear set the stage (no pun intended) for a great performance. The addition of Jacob Edgar, our ethnomusicologist, has proved incredible for this trip, as he has exposed our group to so much of the music of the Western Coast of Africa. The adventure continues….
