The arts and traditional crafts in Togo are as diverse as the people, but batik,
wax-printing and wood-carvings, usually of traditional masks or deities are found
everywhere in Togo.
In the thinly
populated north-east, the remoteness and limited access
to raw materials has lead to different traditional crafts
becoming the art of a particular place or people. Ironwork,
pottery and weaving are among the crafts found in different
places. The traditional hair plaiting, hair-styles and
costumes worn throughout Togo also vary from place to
place.
In the north-west, decorative wood burning
is popular, where wood or calabashes are burnt with elaborate, geometric patterns. Similar
patterns can be found on important houses, and also in traditional body decorations and
scarification, where the skin is marked with decorative raised scars.
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