go to togo

the last three days in the mono-kouffo departament (close to the border with togo) and partly in togo (driving tiny roads, we crossed the border without being noticed by anyone who might care...). trip was organized by prof. sossou, damien's friend.

so welcome to:
TOGO ADVENTURES

featuring: the blue vehi-recule ("reverse-car") & the crew:

• meike
• nathalie
• patrick
• florentine (m.sossou's wife)
• cloie ("le facilitateur")
• kasiou

screenshots:
+dancing: with women singing and claping their hands (atchikpe?) in the village of kpevi, with the children there, during the ceremony of cocou (voudun), with young people in atomey (togo) to modern togolaise music, in an evangelic church on sunday

+cocou couvent with all the magical equipment and the ceremony - wonderful dancers in trance, in grass skirts, covered with white and yellow paint (made of corn flour and oil). one of them caught my hand and started to cut his forearm with a curved knife(they are all coverd with scars). i escaped.

+ organge trees, cashews, calebas trees, cotton& many many more plantations in the breathtaking scenery of west benin

+driving in our lovely vehi-recule. things working there-not many; things not working-side windows, speedometer, from time to time reverse gear, wipescreen (it's the rainy season, i remind you...). one of the highlights of this trip for me was driving the car on the sandy/muddy/full of huge holes laterite roads, in a heavy rain, with my head sticked out the side window to see something (without the wipescreen the windscreen was of no use). then driving it at night, with only one feeble light, in the crazy beninian traffic (with people having their long lights on all the time and motorbikes driving often with no lights at all). no accident!!:)

+long discussions about the politics, the situation of women, the life

+police marking their posts at night with red buckets with oil-lamps inside. witty:)

and many many more. now in ab-cal again. gatting things ready before the big day (saturday) - alternative tourism conference and fete in the village!!!