Prior to coming to Togo I tried to do some research on the country, but honestly there isn’t much literature out there. With limited information, a history of a military dictatorship, and stereotypes about other African nations it was easy to make assumptions. On paper Togo looks like a pretty typical third world country and it doesn’t really stand out one way or another.
Actually being in the country provides a new perspective, but it is still a limited one. Living in country we have been able to hear the perspectives of our Togolese trainers and families, but it is rare to hear an American perspective on Togo. The other day, however, the soon to be retired American ambassador to Togo came to talk to us about the history and political climate in Togo.
While I can’t much discuss the politics of Togo, I was very interested in the American perspective on the recent elections that were tightly controlled through international efforts (In spite of the efforts made there are still a few people who believed the elections to have been fraudulent).
In some ways though, it is actually the lack of international and specifically American presence in Togo that I found so interesting. Unlike all three bordering countries (Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso) Togo receives nearly no aid from the US and has been left out of other international aid projects. Togo is a country stuck in the middle. Including health there are many areas in which Togo desperately needs improvement, but there are few places that Togo sticks out. Fortunately and unfortunately Togo does not currently stand out. There are no genocides, military coups, terrorist threats, or massive HIV/AIDS epidemics, but also few development prospects. There are few things that are perfect in Togo, but it seems that according to various aid funds there is even less really really wrong.
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