Voodoo cult
At the heart of Togolese culture, voodoo is practiced by over half the population. Voodoo appeared in the last decades of the 16th century, on the banks of the Mono River between Benin and Togo, and is based on the supreme god Sègbo Lissa, surrounded by 150 deities and invisible forces, including Mami Wata (goddess of water) and Hêvisso (god of thunder). He can be found at the Akodessewa market (fetish market) in Lomé. The objects, masks and statues, help man to attract the benevolence of the supernatural world as a whole. The priest invokes Papa Legba's help at each ceremony to facilitate exchange between the two worlds. Banned by the colonists, the cult became secret, then integrated into Catholic rites. This led to the emergence of "Christian voodoo" in the 1950s. These contributions have contributed to the iconographic diversity of voodoo objects. Natural materials and anthropomorphic features characterize most productions. Still very much a part of Togolese daily life, voodoo inspires musicians and visual artists alike.
Let's stay along Boulevard du Mono, in Lomé, to explore the Musée International d'Art d'Afrique. In a mansion surrounded by a garden, superb pieces assembled by collector René David invite visitors to discover an art form that commands respect. Over 1,600 objects (statues, door sculptures, engravings, pottery) in wood, terracotta, iron or bronze reflect the variety of Africa's ethnic groups. The museum has been taken over by collector Ching Heng Cheng, who has added further African works to the collection. The many facets of Togolese culture are presented at the Musée National de Lomé. Local history is recounted through painted maps, drawings and photos from the past, as well as all kinds of objects, including woodcarvings.
Modern Plasticians
In the absence of an art college, Togolese artists are either self-taught or trained abroad. The former, who remain at home, are happy to open the doors of their studios. The latter make their careers in Europe, but return to take part in events designed to promote Togolese culture. As a result, we now encounter individual talents rather than trends.
The modern period seems to begin with Paul Ahyi (1930-2010). An official state artist, he designed the national flag. Trained in Dakar, Paris and Lyon, this sculptor, painter, architect and author returned to Togo with a style steeped in the West, and a strong desire to shake things up. He is widely hailed as the only personality to have had an influence on cultural decisions. His monumental works, mosaics and sculptures, now decorate the capital's squares, public parks and buildings, and a museum has been opened there, the Agnassan Paul Ahyi Museum. His joie de vivre is reflected in every aspect of his work.
Jimi Hope, real name Koffi Senaya (1956-2019), is also multidisciplinary. Hope brilliantly combined his talents as a painter, sculptor and musician. Known as the first African rock singer, one of his most recent works is the fresco Le Chemin de la paix (The Way of Peace), in the heart of the city of Lomé, along the national highway 1. This collective project, the last in which the artist participated before passing away, brought together some twenty Togolese visual artists.
Kossi Assou says he was lucky to be able to study in Abidjan. As a visual artist and designer, he supports contemporary art in Togo. After completing his studies, he decided to share his knowledge in his studio. In 1993, he founded the Artistik cultural space, extended by the Ewolé festival. For nine years, the event welcomed artists from all over the world. What was Togo's first contemporary art gathering closed its doors for lack of funding.
As for Jean Koumy, he is undoubtedly one of the most fashionable visual artists on the African continent. His paintings, mainly acrylics, and sculptures are in line with the CoBra and Pop Art movements, and are colorful and full of life, with characters, animals, butterflies, flowers and the many hearts that recur in many of his works, as if to leave a message of peace and love. Better known abroad, notably in Belgium, the artist returned to his homeland in 2016 to mark his country with his artistic touch. Highly appreciated, his works can be found in famous collections.
Current scene
President Faure Gnassingbé, a great lover of art, has set up a fund to support culture. He is behind the Chemin de la paix, a collective work by a selection of Togolese artists.
The opening of the Palais de Lomé is a further step in this direction. The cultural center's program includes exhibitions paying tribute to established names such as designer Kossi Aguessy, as well as showcasing new talent. The venue also supports the "TogoYeye" (Togo Nouveau in Ewe) project, which celebrates Togolese creative talents such as photographer Delali Ayivi.
However, few of the few art galleries that have sprung up in Togo have weathered the storms. Galerie AF, for example, is dedicated to primitive and contemporary art. It champions the work of artist Camille Tété Azankpo, who hijacks objects such as enamel basins and metal trays. Like most of his contemporaries, he exhibits in his Lomé studio nestled at the bottom of a garden. Galerie Néo has chosen the digital format to last. In its online format, the gallery, run by artist Kobla Éric Wonanu, known as Cham, encourages emerging artists.
Togolese creativity is making a name for itself outside the country.
Richard Laté Body Lawson, a self-taught painter born in 1986, began with calligraphy. His studio, annexed to his home, is overflowing with objects. His contemplative creations challenge the eye. Concerned about the environment, he alerts us to the pollution of the seabed in his abstract works. He recently began publishing his work digitally.
Appreciated in the United States, the painter Kodjovi Olympio started out on the streets of Los Angeles, where he quickly made a name for himself. Compared to Jackson Pollock, his impulsive abstract works caused a sensation, as at Art Basel in Miami. But he hasn't forgotten Togo, where he took part in the3rd edition of Western Voodoo, an artistic event that brings together artists from various fields in a caravan. The project was initiated by the passionate Alain Fassier, founder of Galerie AF. In previous editions, Western Voodoo has welcomed on board Sokey Edorh, born in 1955, for whom travel and creation are intimately linked. After studying philosophy, he took up engraving in Bordeaux and then Paris. Exhibited all over the world, he combines African realities and Western abstraction in works that include red clay. While his works, detached from any quest for the "beautiful", are shown in the United States and Germany, Sokey Edorh has chosen to establish his studio in Lomé.
Togolese sculpture
Togolese artists also excel in sculpture. Among the great talents of this art form rooted in African traditions, Goha Atisso won a prize at the international sculpture competition in Egypt. This young artist will be exhibiting for the first time in 2019, at the Négrillis contemporary art gallery in Lomé. Atisso's Totems, his sculpted wooden giants, are embellished with salvaged objects, cans and scraps of various materials, to raise awareness of environmental protection while paying tribute to his ancestors.
Recycling is at the heart of contemporary sculptors' concerns. Camille Tété Azankpo combines wood with paper, advertising posters and enamelled basins. Serge Anoumou uses fabric to give shape to his figures. Doé Mensah, a former student at the École des Beaux-Arts in Abidjan, uses sawdust and canvas to tell stories through images. He also draws inspiration from music to give rhythm to his visual universe.
Sitou Matthia, pioneer of graffiti
From the 2000s onwards, Sitou's artistic qualities were acclaimed in the urban art world. Passionate about drawing, he immersed himself in hip-hop culture. In Togo, graffiti was still in its infancy. Only Max de Campos, his role model, painted on the walls. He trained in graphic design, and then, at the Ouaga Hip-Hop festival in Burkina Faso, it all clicked: he wanted to be a player in urban art. To this end, he took part in several events across the African continent, such as The Wall in Togo, to promote graffiti on an exploding scene.
Based in Paris, the artist traditionally likes to take his talent on the road. In Senegal, Belgium, Benin and Switzerland, he travels the world to sow his frescoes just about everywhere. In the Paris region, he works to embellish public spaces, notably in Vitry-sur-Seine, a hotbed of street art. Here, the Togolese graffiti artist has created a fabulous multicolored chameleon. This motif is a powerful symbol in voodoo culture, the chameleon being the one who transmits the divine message to mankind.
His chameleon also adorns a wall on the rue de l'Ourcq in Paris, which he shares with DaCruz. Here, the reptile evokes the diversity of the neighborhood. For Sitou likes to draw inspiration from the environment in which he paints. Involved in the Kin-graff festival in Congo, he uses his art for communication and educational purposes. Messages painted on walls have the advantage of lasting longer than words..
In Togo, health issues come to the fore in educational murals. In 2020, the "Djé-Ayé, Art to Raise Awareness" project aimed to raise awareness of the Covid-19 pandemic among marginalized people in Togo, particularly street children. The messages conveyed by the images are more powerful than any speeches, as they can be read at a glance. However, the fresco campaign was accompanied by awareness-raising campaigns on preventive measures. What better way to reach children than by involving them? This is how ten frescoes were created in collaboration with the capital's children, specifically the 3,000 youngsters who are left to their own devices. In doing so, they were given an introduction to drawing and the artistic professions. Beforehand, they were invited to submit drawings representing the health measures of their choice. The artists then drew inspiration from these models to create the murals that can be seen in the streets of Lomé. When art is good for your health!
