Views From A Togolese In Diaspora about His Country

Code of ethics for pastors

In this musing, this Togolese charges world leaders, especially African leaders, to cast a caring sight on Togo, because, according to him, what happens in the country dictates what comes to the African continent as a whole.

File photo: President Buhari with President of Togo H.E. Mr Faure Gnassingbe

“Why, of all 54 African countries should anyone care about what is going on in Togo?

You may have a hard time finding Togo on a map. And you don’t wake up reading or listening to news about Togo. Or you rarely do. That is because there is no open-air genocide, no war, no hunger or drought, no scary Ebola-like epidemic in Togo.

But there is a big deal of desperation among the people of that country. For many reasons. But the most important reason is that, you as an African citizen, a citizen of the world, don’t care. And this needs to change.

Why do you have to care about Togo?

The answer is simple: because Togo is the battleground for Africa’s future. African youth. African dignity. African humanity. African democracy, if there is one. And if American politics teaches us something, it is this: battleground states decide the elections; they decide the future of the country, for the better or the worse.

And why is Togo a battleground?

Because what happens in Togo dictates what comes next in Africa. Politically, Togo has set the norm in Africa. Here are a few examples:

Take the coup d’État with the assassination of the duly elected incumbent president: it began in Togo in 1963 and because Africans did nothing, it became the norm on the continent for the following 40 years. It had tragic consequences for many countries.

Take a constitutional amendment to allow the succession of African presidents by their children: it was pioneered in Togo in 2005 and cost more than 1,000 Togolese their lives. Again, Africa kept quiet and since then, it has become the norm as many African presidents have been using or contemplating this option to hand presidency over to their children (Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, etc.).

And now take a change in the Constitution to replace three presidential terms of the incumbent so he can seek two or more terms. This is about to happen in Togo. Isn’t it time to stop this before it becomes once more a norm in Africa? Yes, it is.

For 55 years out of the 58 years of the country’s independence, the Togolese have been fighting for one thing: to be able to freely and fairly choose their leaders. Yes, they are still at this point of their history, at a time when others in Africa are more concerned about their economic viability. The Togolese people face repression by one of the most brutal and merciless military governments of the continent. But the Togolese never gave up.

The Togolese people desperately held on to the promises of fairness of the international community. That international community (ECOWAS, European Union, USA, United Nations and African Union) came and failed, as its mantra remained the same: elections, no matter what. Elections regardless of the political situation. And with each election, the problem worsened. From all accounts, the international community unbelievably pushed the Togolese people to accept the status quo, to accept a dynastic rule, to accept that they cannot freely choose or replace their leaders. The Togolese took note and have been fighting to change this diktat.

But the Togolese people cannot win that fight without you. They need your help.

The Togolese people are not asking for your money or your property. They only need your support. Which one, would you ask? They need you to speak up for their cause by any means necessary, to help them sway the heavy hand of the world order, the international community which supports another life presidency in Togo. Wonder if you can do it? You sure can. How? By raising your voice enough so the world cares.

If you have read to this point, you care about Togo. What do you do to help the Togolese people? Please tell anyone around you to care about Togo. If you know anyone in Togo, tell them you care about what is going on in their country. That you understand that what happens in Togo will happen across Africa.

Togo is member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). You can help by calling or writing to the ECOWAS chairman, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and to other presidents of ECOWAS member countries (the Togolese president excepted). Please ask them to support the Togolese people in their fight for political change. Tell them that the Togolese people expect fairness from them, from the international community. Tell ECOWAS presidents and its chairman that what happens in Togo will become the norm in Africa. Togo is battleground for African dignity. And everyone should care about what happens in the battleground.

God Bless you for daring care about Togo.”