My trip to the Mother Continent. Togo, Africa

So I finally made it. Awaited so long to go to Africa. Sh*t, anywhere in Africa. But, West Africa in particular. Why? Supposedly because of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The dark history of what brought enslaved Africans to the Americas. The need to feel a connection to a long, lost, homeland. Being able to see with my own eyes what some of the countries are like. Well, instead of taking a trip to the beach this year for my birthday, I decided to go to Togo. 

Here in Maryland, my closest thing to a family are a group of people from Togo. Before moving to the area, I had not known anyone from the country before. But spending most of my weekends with these guys, I have learned some things about the culture, food, music and language. One of them was traveling back home this month, so I decided to tag along. At first, I thought I would base my decision on what country to visit on my DNA results. I had that done a few months ago and the results came back saying that my bloodline was 80% Nigerian. I was pretty amazed. I guess I never imagined it saying that. But it did. And, honestly, I had never really considered visiting Nigeria. Just wasn't a thought. So, I didn't want to force myself to a place that I had no desire to go to. So, Togo it was.

When I first got off the plane (after two 6 and a half hour flights, f*ck, I really hate international flying lol) I was looking for my friend. I walked out of the airport, and all I could see was Black people. LOL. I heard someone calling my name, but couldn't make out anyone. And then I seen Joe. lol. My initial reaction as we drove along the road was like "F*ck, I'm really in Africa." And then about 7 minutes later, I was like, this looks like Jamaica. And then about 15 minutes later, I was like, okay where is the country-side. LOL. Lome is where we were. The city. A bunch of motorscooters, cars, and very Western. It was a version of any other city. 

Once I got settled in, I pretty much did what my Togo family does in Maryland. We did a bunch of going to different people's houses, eating, drinking, and talking. LOL. Socializing is very big in Togo. They love it. It was a lot of the way they had fun. They were really surprised about how much I had already knew about the food and culture. I told them my friends back home had Togolized me well. They also had interesting views about Americans, similar to the way that Americans would view Africans. No one group of people is exempt from having limited views or ideas about other groups. We all have to be more open to exposing ourselves more to different people and getting to know them. 

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to see a slave house or a voodoo village as I had hoped (fyi, not the evil sh*t that we see in Hollywood movies, but the actual religion which has been used for healing). But I got to spend time with my friend and live the Togo way. We did take a long drive across the country side that I enjoyed very much. Driving across the country, I got to see miles and miles of undeveloped lands. Which was beautiful. I also got to see small villages where people lived in huts made of hard clay. They walked miles to the closest town centers to pick up and sale items. I watched children walk miles in the pouring rain. Definitely hardcore! 

Probably the best site was the waterfall. It had to be one of the most beautiful things that I saw. We headed up North to visit a city called Kara where they would be hosting a traditional wrestling match. Unfortunately, I did get very sick, so I was not able to fully enjoy that experience. But, I did have a chance to drink the local beer. It was delicious. It was sort of like an alcoholic sour apple cider. I loved it. And we had it for breakfast, what better way to enjoy local brew.

What I learned is that African countries is like playgrounds for Europeans. Partly because of proximity and also history of colonialism. I suppose not a lot of Americans, particularly Black Americans visit African countries for vacation because of the torn history that our country has with the land. 

Another thing that stood out was how lean the people were. It made sense, people did a lot of walking. So the bodies was gorgeous. And the stuff I seen young girls carrying on their heads, it just deserves an award. LOL. Also, the guns on the girls pounding fufu. Man! Gym for what? LOL. 

Would I go back? Yes, but honestly, I am a nature bug! So, I like experiences where I can be among nature. So, I would plan a trip that can focus on that part. No city life for me, I get enough of that at home.


Thank you to all my Togo family who welcomed me in with open arms.