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.

togolese drumming

Traditional drum and dance at a concert at the French Cultural Centre in Lomé

All over Togo you will find drumming. Every major event in life, every birth, baptism or marriage, every celebration and all festivities are marked by drumming. Drums are played, often for hours, at traditional religious ceremonies, and are also an important part of Christian and Moslem worship. 

Togolese drummers need to be able to perform for many different occasions, and there are many different rhythms and accompanying songs and dances. Each area of Togo has a unique rhythm that distinguishes its drummers from those in other parts of the country. There are also many different types of drum. In the Aneho district in south-east Togo drummers use Agbadja, Ageche, Aziboloe, Kple, Amedjeame, Akpesse, Grekon, Blekete and Adomdom, which are all different kinds of drums. 

Drums play a central role in many traditional ceremonies in Togo. At the Ekpesoso (or Yeke Yeke) Festival celebrated each September by the Ganye people who live in and around the village of Klidji-Podi, in the Aného region. The event begins on a Thursday when a special stone is carried from its resting place in the sacred forest and brought to the village. Two days later a sacred drum is taken out of the chief’s house (where it is kept on every other day of the year) and the celebrations start, which include non-stop drumming.