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Togo

Togo. We arrived in the busy harbor area of Lome.  Togo , officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It is one of the least developed countries and extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its capital, Lomé, is located.
For a small underdeveloped country the cranes in the harbor area are very impressive for loading and unloading, some 3 million tons of goods annually.  The new deep water harbor was modernized from 1960 to  1968. I counted 17 ships outside the harbor on the horizon waiting to enter into the harbor.
Waiting for us to dock we see a number of tour buses and our guides and drivers are waiting to share the country of  Togo with us.
Our ship is in the process of docking.  Then we must clear customs before we can disembark and join our tours.
A naval ship is in the harbor having followed us into the harbor.  The last 4 or 5 nights we have been traveling in Pirate infested waters.  We run dark with all the window shades closed and limited outside lighting.  I am sure this is the reason for the escort into the port.
Waiting for us are musicians and local music.
Dancers and pole walkers are among the musicians welcoming us.
After leaving the ship we find out of the harbor area stands selling all kinds of items, clothing, shoes and you name it.
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To think each of these stalls of clothing are set up and then torn down and packed away for the next day what is not sold.
The town of Lome was colonized in 1894 by the Germans.
Togo gained its independence in 1960.  Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center, which includes an oil refinery. It is also the country's chief port, from where it exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and oil palm kernels.
From the mid-1970s, investments became more and more gigantic, but not always in well-targeted areas, Togo, a small open country and hub of trade between its powerful neighbors, did not have the protected market that would have been needed for the large industries that were built for it, nor the stable tourism potential for the luxurious hotels that were coming up
Our first stop we find ourselves stopping at a Voodoo Market.  The Voodoo market of Lome in Togo taught me a little bit more about this fascinating religion.
When thinking about Voodoo, the first thing that crossed my mind were Voodoo dolls, needles and black magic. The Akodessawa Voodoo Market is not your typical market, to say the least. It’s undoubtedly the most unusual market I’ve ever had the chance to visit and it taught me a little more about West African culture.
I was told numerous times here that Voodoo is not practiced to harm people but only to heal and to do good. This market is widely known for its great variety of products. You can find fetishes, charms and everything you might need for a Voodoo ritual here. The locals that visit the market don’t come here for fun. They come here to buy ingredients to fix a problem or to visit the market’s Voodoo priest. Or at least, that’s what I was told.
Heads of monkeys, cats or crocodiles, chameleons, bats, snakes, hedgehogs, birds – you name it. I don’t remember ever seeing so many dead animals in one place… I was told  that all the animals died of natural causes and that people are not allowed to kill animals in order to sell them at the market. I really hope this is true.
There are 15 stalls at the Voodoo market. All of these are run by salesmen/healers from the neighboring country Benin, where the Voodoo religion originated.
Here is your chance to make an appointment to see the "Voodoo Priest", and help to get rid of that ailment that is bothering you.
Words cannot describe this. I stood back watching a number of tourists stop and photograph this "thing", not even realizing what they were shooting a photo of.  I have a feeling when they returned home and were looking at their photos they were quite surprised.  Maybe even shocked!

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