The historical dictionaries present essential information on a broad range of subjects, including American and world history, art, business, cities, countries, cultures, customs, film, global conflicts, international relations, literature, music, philosophy, religion, sports, and theater. Written by experts, all contain highly informative introductory essays on the topic and detailed chronologies that, in some cases, cover vast historical time periods but still manage to heavily feature more recent events. Brief A–Z entries describe the main people, events, politics, social issues, institutions, and policies that make the topic unique, and entries are cross- referenced for ease of browsing. Extensive bibliographies are divided into several general subject areas, providing excellent access points for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more. Additionally, maps, photographs, and appendixes of supplemental information aid high school and college students doing term papers or introductory research projects. In short, the historical dictionaries are the perfect starting point for anyone looking to research in these fields. HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF AFRICA Jon Woronoff, Series Editor Senegal, Second Edition, by Andrew F. Clark and Lucie Colvin Phillips. 1994. Comoro Islands, by Martin Ottenheimer and Harriet Ottenheimer. 1994. Uganda, by M. Louise Pirouet. 1995. Tanzania, Second Edition, by Thomas P. Ofcansky and Rodger Yeager. 1997. Equatorial Guinea, Third Edition, by Max Liniger-Goumaz. 2000. Swaziland, Second Edition, by Alan R. Booth. 2000. Djibouti, by Daoud A. Alwan and Yohanis Mibrathu. 2000. Liberia, Second Edition, by D. Elwood Dunn, Amos J. Beyan, and Carl Patrick Burrowes. 2001. Zimbabwe, Third Edition, by Steven C. Rubert and R. Kent Rasmussen. 2001. Somalia, Second Edition, by Mohamed Haji Mukhtar. 2002. Western Sahara, Third Edition, by Anthony G. Pazzanita. 2005. Madagascar, Second Edition, by Philip M. Allen and Maureen Covell. 2005. Sierra Leone, New Edition, by C. Magbaily Fyle. 2005. Burundi, Third Edition, by Ellen K. Eggers. 2007. Republic of Cape Verde, Fourth Edition, by Richard A. Lobban Jr. and Paul Khalil Saucier. 2007. Zambia, Third Edition, by David J. Simon, James R. Pletcher, and Brian V. Siegel. 2008. Mali, Fourth Edition, by Pascal James Imperato, Gavin H. Imperato, and Austin C. Imperato. 2008. Mauritania, Third Edition, by Anthony G. Pazzanita. 2009. Nigeria, by Toyin Falola and Ann Genova. 2009. Angola, Second Edition, by W. Martin James. 2011. Malawi, Fourth Edition, by Owen J. M. Kalinga. 2012. Republic of the Congo, Fourth Edition, by John F. Clark and Samuel Decalo. 2012. Namibia, Second Edition, by Victor L. Tonchi, William A. Lindeke, and John J. Grotpeter. 2012. Benin, Fourth Edition, by Mathurin C. Houngnikpo and Samuel Decalo. 2013. Burkina Faso, Third Edition, by Lawrence Rupley, Lamissa Bangali, and Boureima Diamitani. 2013. Sudan, Fourth Edition, by Robert S. Kramer, Richard A. Lobban Jr., and Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban. 2013. Ethiopia, Second Edition, by David H. Shinn and Thomas P. Ofcansky. 2013. Egypt, Fourth Edition, by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. 2013. Lesotho, Second Edition, by Scott Rosenberg and Richard F. Weisfelder. 2013. Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Fourth Edition, by Peter Karibe Mendy and Richard A. Lobban Jr. 2013. Guinea, Fifth Edition, by Mohamed Saliou Camara, Thomas E. O’Toole, and Janice E. Baker. 2013. Ghana, Fourth Edition, by David Owusu-Ansah. 2014. Libya, Fifth Edition, by Ronald Bruce St. John. 2014. Kenya, Third Edition, by Robert M. Maxon and Thomas P. Ofcansky. 2014. Algeria, Fourth Edition, by Phillip C. Naylor. 2015. Rwanda, Second Edition, by Aimable Twagilamana. 2016. Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast), Third Edition, by Cyril K. Daddieh. 2016. Central African Republic, New Edition, by Richard Bradshaw and Juan Fandos-Rius. 2016. The Gambia, Fifth Edition, by David Perfect. 2016. Morocco, Third Edition, by Aomar Boum and Thomas K. Park. 2016. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fourth Edition, by Emizet François Kisangani. 2016. Tunisia, Third Edition, by Kenneth J. Perkins. 2016. Gabon, Fourth Edition, by Douglas A. Yates. 2018. Botswana, Fifth Edition, by Barry Morton and Jeff Ramsay. 2018. Chad, Fourth Edition, by Mario J. Azevedo and Samuel Decalo. 2018. Mozambique, New Edition, by Colin Darch. 2019. Republic of Cameroon, Fourth Edition, by Mark Dike DeLancey, Mark W. DeLancey, and Rebecca Neh Mbuh. 2019. Eritrea, Third Edition, by Dan Connell. 2019. Niger, Fifth Edition, by Abdourahmane Idrissa. 2020. South Africa, Third Edition, by Christopher Saunders and Peter Limb. 2021. Togo, Fourth Edition, by Jennifer C. Seely and Samuel Decalo. 2021. Historical Dictionary of Togo Fourth Edition Jennifer C. Seely and Samuel Decalo ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Lanham • Boulder • New York • London Published by Rowman & Littlefield An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www .rowman .com 6 Tinworth Street, London, SE11 5AL, United Kingdom Copyright © 2021 by Jennifer C. Seely and Samuel Decalo All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Seely, Jennifer C., 1970– author. | Decalo, Samuel, author. Title: Historical dictionary of Togo / Jennifer C. Seely, Samuel Decalo. Other titles: Historical dictionaries of Africa (Unnumbered) Description: Fourth edition. | Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, 2021. | Series: Historical dictionaries of Africa | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: “The fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Togo contains a chronology, an introduction, an extensive bibliography, and more than 100 cross-referenced dictionary entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture”— Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2020046507 (print) | LCCN 2020046508 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538122778 (cloth) | ISBN 9781538122785 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Togo—History—Dictionaries. | Togo—Bibliography. Classification: LCC DT582.5 .S44 2021 (print) | LCC DT582.5 (ebook) | DDC 966.81003—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020046507 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020046508 ∞ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Contents Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff ix Acknowledgments xi Reader’s Note xiii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations xv Maps xxix Recent Political Chronology xxxi Introduction 1 Dictionary 19 Appendix 391 Bibliography 395 About the Authors 427 vii Editor’s Foreword Most of our historical dictionaries on African countries are very complex, with repeated changes of government and periodic coups and wars. This one on Togo is much more straightforward, with one family in charge since 1967, constantly pushing back against the struggle of an array of opposition forces fighting for change. Togo is a small country, with many ethnic groups and a small economy depending mainly on minerals and agriculture. Less straightforward was the colonial history: lacking the centralized precolonial kingdoms found in neighboring Ghana and Benin, Togo was first dubbed by Europeans the rather unflattering name of the “slave coast” until it be- came the German protectorate of Togoland and French trusteeship territory of French Togoland, and then won independence as the country of Togo in 1960. Early leadership in Togo was characterized by competition between the country’s first president, Sylvanus Olympio, and the second president, Nicolas Grunitzky. By 1967, however, General Gnassingbé Eyadéma had installed himself as president, where he remained until his death in 2005, when he was followed by his son Faure Gnassingbé, who remains president today. Readers can follow the intrigue and struggle that have characterized this history in what is still one of the best guides to a unique country, now in its fourth edition. Like other books in the series, this one also consists of, first, a chronol- ogy which goes back well before independence. It also has a bibliography which helps readers find articles, books, and other works on the country to offer greater detail and provide more specialized information as needed. But the most important part is obviously the core dictionary with entries on historical periods, ethnic groups, economic and social features, and much more. The “much more” is worth repeating because this is now the fourth edition of the book which has been periodically updated and expanded, to the advantage of readers and researchers. This edition is especially welcome, as the previous edition dates back to 1996, and a great deal has happened in Togo in the interim. The author of the previous editions is already well known to readers not only of this volume but the series in general: Samuel Decalo who also wrote ix