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West Africa, Malta and the Balkans in 1999

TOGO

Bec
2004-09-18 20:01:00

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The three big buildings across the Boulevard Circulaire from my hotel are the headquarters of the Banque Togolaise du Commerce et de l'Industrie (BTCI), of the (CDEAO) and almost hidden behind, of the Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement (BOAD).

I visited the informatics division of the CDEAO where one of my contacts, Alain Patrick Aina was computer engineer.

This is the Palais des Congrčs where the President's party holds its meetings. The National Museum is also here but its entrance is in the back. I had just taken this photo when two uniformed guards rushed out screaming at me that taking pictures was forbidden. I was in trouble and I could see that they were really upset about having their picture taken. I had to convince them that they could not be recognized at that distance to get away without surrendering my camera nor paying a bribe.

Alain brought me to visit the fetish market where the guérisseur Bénoît Guedenon made a gris-gris especially for me after holding my hands and going through the appropriate incantations. When I asked him how much it was, he threw a handful of bones of the dirt floor of his hut, examined them and said that the spirits had decided it would be so much. when I told him that the spirits must have made a mistake and that it couldn't be so high, he did not demur, he threw the bones down again and quoted a much lower price with which I agreed.

I wore the gris-gris for while to show it to my friends and now I keep it at the head of my bed so it can bring me pleasant dreams and keep the evil spirits away.
Lomé's fetish market is quite large with at least two dozen stands like this one where local sorcerers can find all the exotic ingredients they need to concoct portions and elixirs that will cure anything that ails you or for a higher price makes the object of your desires fall in love with you or for a higher price still, wreak a frightful vengeance on anyone who has wronged you.

Aného
My next stop was at the Hôtel de l'Oasis, where I took this picture of the lagoon joining the Atlantic in front of Aného, the last town before Benin

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