Discovering Tamberma valley in Togo
Situated at the foot of the Atakora mountain range in north-eastern Togo is the region of Kutammaku, home to the Batammariba, a people of ancient traditions. Kutammaku stretches all the way to Benin, where they are called the Somba.
Kutammaku (the men who work the land) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
This is a very beautiful and interesting region, the landscapes are closely linked to customs and religious beliefs and where even today, man lives in harmony with nature.
Takietas, fortified houses in the Tamberma valley
Its inhabitants live in takietas, a kind of miniature castles laboriously built with clay, wood and straw. These fortified houses usually have two floors. On the lower floor is the kitchen and an area for animals, while on the upper floor are the barns, rooms and a formidable terrace used for drying grain.
After dinner the terrace also serves as a meeting point for family, friends and neighbours, who gather around the “boss” and listen attentively to the stories he tells about his country, some recent and some old.
Fetishes and spirits
On the outside of the house we find the fetishes that keep the bad spirits away. These fetishes protect each inhabitant of the house and prevent bad spirits from being in the surroundings and from accessing the interior of the house.
These fortified constructions have their origin in the 17th century and were used to protect themselves from the slave raids of the kingdom of Dahomey (Benin). Two centuries later, they would serve to protect themselves this time from the Germans.
Today, the takietas have undoubtedly become the symbol of Togo.
The Batammariba of Togo
The Batammariba are a strongly cohesive and organised people, where, for example, the hardest work in the fields, the forest, construction or hunting is done in communal groups. While young women are preparing to be good wives, adolescent boys are faced with ancient initiation rites that can take them from 2 to 4 years.
The main diet of the Batammariba consists of sorghum paste, mixed with baobab leaf sauce or fermented baobab seeds, or the famous West African okra sauce. If you’ve been lucky with the game, the feast will be of hare or the odd small or medium sized animal.
If you take the time to discover the valley, you’ll find that as the evening progresses more and more people gather quietly in the shade to chat and drink their local beer, made from millet or sorghum and served in pumpkins. A beer that, by the way, is “not to bad” to be drunk.
Trips to Togo and Benin
If you want to discover the Tamberma valley in Togo and combine it with Benin, discovering these two interesting countries, we can organize you private tailor-made trips all year round.
Ask us for more information at info@kumakonda.com or visit the following link Trips to Benin
Autor:
Austerio Alonso
Co-founder of Kumakonda. Passionate of Africa. Specialist in the design, preparation and realization of expeditions in Africa. Content creator.
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