Togoville is a town and canton located south of Togo at the northern edge of Lake Togo.
Named Togoville in 1884, the town was originally known as Togo until the King Mlapa III and explorer Gustav Nachtigal, a German commissioner who oversaw Togo (then Togoland) become one of German’s colonies and the first capital of the country.King Mlapa’s heir to the throne informs visitors of the history of the city and take them through the royal museum.
The canton is also famous for its tradition and history. One of the main attractions of the city is the voodoo culture. Visitors will not only be able to interact more with the voodoo priests, they will also be able to learn more about voodoo and debunk myths and assumptions about it. There are shrines and altars to visit and icons and relics to see.
Harbour in Togoville, Togo, 2007-12-02. Photo: Wiki/CC BY-SA 3.0
Also in the city is the Togoville Cathedral, a German church dating back to 1910. The church sits on a large dugout, with the village spread out in a semi-circle below. Besides the stained glass windows, which offer a beautiful view from the inside, the cathedral also features paintings of African Saints.
In 1970s, the locals build a shrine of Virgin Mary, who they said appeared at the cathedral. Pope John Paul II visited the shrine; the boat he used sits on a pedestal as it is considered sacred.
Visitors can access Togoville by crossing Lake Togo on a pirogue- a long narrow canoe made from a single tree trunk also known as a dugout. The lake is the largest part of a lagoon but shallow enough for visitors to enjoy water sports. Other activities on the lake include bird watching and fishing, which the locals depend on besides agriculture.
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Visitors can get the various African masks, batiks and painted calabashes from Togovillle as they interact with the locals and view the daily fixtures in their lives including a palaver tree, the city market and the monument erected in 1984 to celebrate 100 years of King Mlapa signing the agreement with Germany.