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The cultural landscape of Koutammakou, on the border between Togo and Benin, has been shaped by the Batammariba people who have lived here since the 6th century. It is characterized by the mudbrick tower houses called takienta. People are strongly connected with the natural environment and continue practicing ancient rituals and traditions.
Benin was thus the first African country to successfully complete the transition from a dictatorship to a pluralistic political system. [ 5 ] In the second round of National Assembly elections held in March 1995, Zoglo's political vehicle, the Parti de la Renaissance du Benin, was the largest single party but lacked an overall majority.
World Heritage Sites ; Site Image Location Year listed UNESCO data Description Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba* Kara Region: 2004 1140bis; v, vi (cultural) The Koutammakou landscape in north-eastern Togo and neighbouring Benin is home to the Batammariba, whose remarkable mud tower-houses are known as takienta (sikien in the plural).
The first Europeans to see Togo were João de Santarém and Pêro Escobar, the Portuguese explorers who sailed along its coast between 1471 and 1473. [3] The Portuguese built forts in neighboring Ghana (at Elmina) and Benin (at Ouidah). Although the coast of Togo had no natural harbors, the Portuguese did trade at a small fort at Porto Seguro. [2]
It also traces the development of the Benin kingship institution, from the Ogiso dynasty to the Oranmiyan interregnum to the Eweka dynasty. [16] The book outlines the founding and expansion of Benin City, the capital of the Benin Empire, by Oba Ewedo and Oba Eweka I. It also explains the inception and functions of some of the important titles ...
The Aja or Adja are an ethnic group native to south-western Benin and south-eastern Togo. [2] According to oral tradition, the Aja migrated to southern Benin in the 12th or 13th century from Tado on the Mono River, and c. 1600, three brothers, Kokpon, Do-Aklin, and Te-Agbanlin, split the ruling of the region then occupied by the Aja amongst themselves: Kokpon took the capital city of Great ...
French is the official language of Togo, but many native African languages are spoken there as well. Despite the influence of Western religion, more than half of the people of Togo follow native animistic practices and beliefs. [citation needed] Ewe statuary is characterized by its famous statuettes which illustrate the worship of the twins ...
On 30 November 1975, he renamed the country the People's Republic of Benin. [35] [36] The regime of the People's Republic of Benin underwent changes over the course of its existence: a nationalist period (1972–1974); a socialist phase (1974–1982); and a phase involving an opening to Western countries and economic liberalism (1982–1990). [37]