Blogs from Togo, Africa - page 5

I had a great weekend in Grand Popo, Benin. This is beachside village about 1 1/2 hours east of Lome, which is known for its voodoo beliefs and slave history. Apart from these negative aspects, its an interesting place and we had a relaxing 2 days there. 10 of us piled into a combi van complete with deck chairs in the front and back and someone on the floor, for 1 night away at a small hotel on the beach, which looked more like a plantation site. Lush grass, coconut trees, cacti, and no other tourists, it was bliss. Almost 100 fellow Mercyshippers were away for the weekend too, many in Benin, but fortunately we were the only ones where we were staying.... sometimes you just need some time away. While we were in Benin, we ... read more

Hi everyone, well I’ve been in Lome, Togo for nearly a month now and I’m feeling pretty settled and have learnt a lot already. My week consists of working 40 hours on the ward (although I’ve just finished working 44 hours of night shifts straight after each other) and trying to get off the ship and spend some time relaxing or seeing new things on my days off. Work on the ward is quite different to anywhere I’ve worked, not surprising though, the main reasons are the major language barrier and 10 patients (often plus their parent & sometimes a sibling) in a 10 metre by 10 metre room, with another 10 bedded room joined as well. The parent either sleeps on a mattress under the bed, or shares with the baby/child. Every so often you ... read more

Western Africa is not on the well-worn tourist route. All four ports are new to us. Fortunately we have several guest lecturers on board who have given us some background on these small countries hanging on the Atlantic edge of Africa. They were used as way stations during the era of slavery. They were all colonial outposts and only became independent in the past fifty years. As third world countries, they share many of the same problems such as poverty, high mortality rates and rampant unemployment. Malaria and Aids contribute to the problems of these poor countries. They have not been plagued with the tribal wars which have engulfed many of the other African states. We arrived at the pilot station in Benin right on time but alas there was no pilot. Then Captain Mario got ... read more

Geo: 6.1228, 1.2255With the sands of our adventure time draining out quickly, we have two countries to visit and the central theme is, wait for it, 'voodoo' thus completing our three legged and rhyming travel stool of Timbuktu- Ouagadougo- Voodoo. This was not, however, the Hollywood voodoo of black magic, zombies, and curses. The more famous voodoo sites of Haiti, Dominican Republic, and New Orleans can trace their roots back to West Africa via the slave trading routes but there are big differences. One of the largest differences between African and American Voudun is that the African slaves of Haiti and the southern US were obliged to disguise their gods (Lwas) and spirits as Roman Catholic saints, a process called syncretism.Voodoo (aka Vodoun, Voudou, Vodou, Vodun, Sevi Lwa) is an animist, or nature-based religion that originated ... read more

Togo Auch wenn ich inzwischen schon wieder zurueck in Ghana bin - hier ein Ueberblick ueber meine eineinhalb Wochen, wo ich bis Anfang der Woche war. Eigentlich wollte ich nur gut eine Woche in Togo bleiben und Freitag vor gut einer Woche aufbrechen, aber dann hat mir irgendeine fiese Krankheit einen Strich durch die Rechnung gemacht und anstatt am Strand in Ghana habe ich stattdessen ein paar Tage in Bett in Togo verbracht. Was genau es war ist unklar, wahrscheinlich aber eine Malaria, die wegen meiner Prophylaxe relativ harmlos verlaufen ist. Sonntag war ich wieder weitestgehend auf den Beinen, Montag morgen in Ghana an der Grenze und montag abend wieder zurueck in Busua am Strand, drei Tage spaeter als eigentlich geplant. Aber zurueck nach Togo: Ich habe wie vor zwei Jahren auch in einem Vorort der ... read more