The music of Togo is very varied, as you would expect of a country with around forty
different ethnic groups, but all over Togo you will find drumming, a crucial part of any event or celebration. In the South the fishermen sing as they haul in
their nets, sometimes accompanied by musicians playing percussion instruments, such as
bells and gongs. Further inland in the Plateaux Region, many of the songs are sung in Fon
(a Beninois language) or Yoruba, rather than in Ewé. After the millet
harvest has been collected in there are joyous celebrations with music and festivities.
The singing and dancing is often accompanied by village children playing lithophones
(percussion instruments made of stones). In the Savannah Region traditional music uses
flutes and the musical bow, an instrument played while holding an arrow.
Nowadays, the traditional rhythms of bells
and drums have fused with modern music from West Africa, West Indies and South America to
create a multitude of different styles and sounds. High-life, Soukous and Reggae are all
popular, and stars like King Mensah, Nimon Toki Lala, Fifi Rafiatou and Afia Mala are
well-known throughout West Africa.
Most famous of
all is Bella Bellow, a singer and songwriter who
dominated the music scene in Togo for some years
until her death in 1973.
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