Sayings of Togolese origin
It is better to walk than curse the road.
A full stomach does not last overnight.
He who has diarrhea knows the direction of the door without being told.
The teeth of a man serve as a fence.
In the home of the coward, there is no funeral dirge.
In the world there is more madness than sanity.
A piece of wood that has been burned easily catches fire.
You flirt with a widow, but do you know how her husband died?
Feces are the food of flies.
The devil sups with the tax collector.
So not roast all your corn in the winter.
You can’t look into a bottle with both eyes at the same time.
Better the child weeps than your wife.
The man who has never experienced evil does not know the worth of what is good.
We are all flesh and blood of the earth and so will return to the ground as rotten maggot encrusted relics.
If you hurt the reputation of another, you damage your own.
Not all those who are old are wise.
If there is no traitor in your house, the witches will never be able to get at you.
Dirty water cannot be washed.
When all men say you are a dog, it is time to bark.
If you see a frog squatting on his house, don’t ask him for a chair.
The heart rules without rules.
A woman’s tongue is sharp enough to pierce the toughest flesh.
You must kill the hornets to get rid of the nest.
It is impossible to go and look into the stomach of another.
A man that does not lie shall never marry.
With gold you can make a road to heaven but it will end in hell.
Better a stupid wife than a mess at home.
The water carrier does not drink mud.
That which has horns cannot be wrapped.
If God dishes you rice in a basket, do not wish to eat soup!
Every rhinoceros is proud of its horn.
Does a man not know when he has pepper in his eyes? If we forget yesterday, how shall we remember tomorrow?
God exercises vengeance in silence.
Good stew is best to be made in an old pot.
Breed up a serpent and he will strike when you are in deep slumber.
Absence polishes passion, presence reinforces it.
Don’t butter the skillet before catching the fish.
The tears running down your face do not blind you.
He bawls like a calf because he is as weak as a kitten.
A child does not laugh at the ugliness of its mother.
You can’t scare a monkey with a dead baboon.
In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
The fish, seeing the water has dried up, struggles mightily in the mud.
The Togolese Republic
Togo, is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its capital Lomé is located. Togo covers 57,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi), making it one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of approximately 6.7 million.
Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with a climate that provides good growing seasons.
The official language is French, with many other languages spoken in Togo, particularly those of the Gbe family. The largest religious group in Togo consists of those with indigenous beliefs, and there are significant Christian and Muslim minorities.
Lomé, is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country’s administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels. It also has an oil refinery.(An excerpt from Wikipedia)
“Land of our forefathers” “Terre de nos aïeux” is the national anthem of Togo.
Togo National Anthem ( English Lyrics):
Hail to thee, land of our forefathers’
Thou who made them strong,
Peaceful and happy,
Men who for posterity,
Cultivated virtue and bravery.
Even if tyrants shall come,
Thy heart yearns towards freedom.
Togo arise! Let us struggle without faltering.
Victory or death, but dignity.
God almighty, Thou alone,
Hast made Togo prosper.
People of Togo arise! Let us build the nation.
To serve thee in unity
Is the most burning desire of our hearts.
Let us shout aloud our motto
That nothing can tarnish.
We the only builders of thy happiness and of thy future,
Everywhere let us break chains and treachery,
And we swear to thee for ever faith,
Love, service, untiring zeal,
To make thee yet, beloved Togo,
A golden example for humanity.
Hail, hail to the entire Universe
Let us unite our efforts on this immense building site
Whence will be reborn anew
Great Humanity.
Everywhere, instead of misery, let us bring happiness.
Let us chase from the world unruly hatred.
It’s over with slavery and Captivity.
At the star of liberty,
Let us renew the solidarity
Of the Nations in fraternity.