Under the Togo Shade

January 31, 2019

The Togo sun and I don’t have the best relationship what with all the sunburns (sorry mom!), sweating, and horrible, truly horrible, farmer’s tan I have now. But it turns out, I’m not the only enemy of the Togo sun. The sun here is so strong and the heat is so draining, that even the Togolese avoid it at all costs. Everything is done under the shade—preferably a tree where there might be a breeze.

Every Tuesday I weigh babies under the shade of a tree. Normally, I weigh babies every Friday at the local clinic on vaccination day, but every Tuesday I take part in a project with my nurse where we travel to different neighboring villages in our work zone that are more than 5 kilometers away from the clinic and vaccinate and weigh babies. This project is great because sometimes mothers don’t have the means or the stamina to travel long distances to the clinic, so we come to them and join together under the breeze of the largest tree. The hanging scale is hung from a branch, and I weigh newborn babies through five-year-old kids and track their growth on standard growth charts. Weighing babies is a critical practice in Togo because malnutrition and diarrheal diseases are a leading killer for kids under five.

Under the shade of a hut we—more so the Togolese than me—drink Tchouk, the locally made beer. The hut, better known here as a Tchouk stand, is a short, open-air hut roofed with dried palm branches. There are benches that surround the sides and the woman who makes and sells the Tchouk sits in the middle of the hut to serve the drinkers. We drink Tchouk from calabashes, which are dried and halved gourds. If I am walking by, my neighbors and friends will invite me to drink Tchouk with them, but I turn them down each time explaining that I am full when in reality the Tchouk is too bitter for my sweet tooth.

Even at the farm, the Togolese will find a large tree to rest and eat lunch under. Going to the farm is a whole-day activity because the farms are a long ways walk from home. On farming days, we bring everything we will need with us for the day which usually entails the kids, a hoe, water and lunch. Instead of eating or resting at home, we sleep and eat under the shade of a tree. When I went to my neighbor’s farm, this is exactly what I did. Almost everyone here is a farmer—whether that be their primary or secondary work, so you can see how important trees and shade are to the Togolese in order to get proper rest from the boiling sun on long farming days.

Just last weekend, I celebrated a marriage under the Togo shade right next to a church. The wedding did not take place inside the church because it was simply too small to fit everyone. Instead, a shaded hut roofed with dried palm branches was built to host the big event. I received a formal invitation to my neighbor’s wedding in advance and invited one of my neighboring Peace Corps Volunteers to attend with me. Official marriages in Togo are rare because they cost money and most people just claim themselves as married without signing any papers—so, this event was pretty significant in village. The wedding started at 10 am, right after the 8 am church service at the Assembly of God church. The wedding was five hours long and didn’t end until 3 pm. Everyone dressed up in beautiful pagne outfits, and the wedding was very similar to a wedding in the States—vows, ring exchanging, dancing and gift giving. It was a fun yet exhausting celebration, but I am so glad I was able to experience and learn more about Togolese culture through this marriage.

Under the Togo shade, I have learned more about the culture of Togo, have learned more about the village I am living in, and have built strong relationships with friends. I have done more things under the shade than inside buildings or out in the hot sun. Buildings do not have air conditioning or fans, and most public buildings don’t have electricity or lights, which makes the shade the best place to be. Before I can start any type of activity or conversation, I am always moved or offered a seat somewhere in the comfort of shade. My life in Togo is best experienced and described under the Togo shade rather than under the Togo sun.

This is the usual setup for weighing babies on Tuesdays. which includes the hanging scale; you can see the mamas patiently waiting with their infants.