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The people of Togo are passionate about soccer, and there are several soccer leagues in the country. Togo's national team has qualified for the final stages of the last two African Nations Cup competitions. Their most spectacular victory was in February ’98, when they defeated Ghana 2-1. While the game was being played the whole nation was huddled around TV sets and when the final whistle blew tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the major towns dancing, singing and waving flags.
Several Togolese players earn a living as professional footballers in Europe. The most successful of them is Bachiro Salou, currently playing for Eintracht Frankfurt. Off the pitch Salou is softly spoken and shy, but on it he is very different. He is over six feet tall, strongly built and terrifies opponents with his speed, skill, physical strength and aggressive, but fair, tackling.
Wrestling is an important feature of cultural life amongst the Kabye people of northern Togo. In days gone by all boys were taught to wrestle and, as young men, they would take part in the Evala wrestling festival as a way of proving their manhood: if a boy performed well he was strong enough to fend for himself, and therefore ready for marriage. This festival, held in the northern city of Kara every July, is still going strong, but is no longer the exclusive preserve of the Kabye; young men come from all over West Africa to wrestle in the tournament. Many of the contestants are members of the Togolese armed forces, where wrestling is part of the training programme.
A large number of people play basketball and handball, and the strong French influence has made cycling quite popular.
Most Togolese people are unable to swim because outside upmarket hotels, there are only a few swimming pools in the country. Togo does, however, have one world-class swimmer. His name is John Dagbovi Senakwami and he represented Togo at the World Swimming Championships in Perth in 1998.
Photo by Mike Rimmer
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