Yovo Ameyibo

During the months of July – September/October, the electricity cuts usually only last a few minutes. They are still far too frequent, reminding me every time of the fragility of the supply of energy in this country. When it rains often, the hydro plants in Ghana produce enough electricity to export, and therefore Togo has light…when the Volta region is dry, Togo is in the dark. It’s that simple.

And while during rainy season the blackouts are short they still create a major nuisance for everyone using a computer, having to shut down and quickly save, as transformers blink and beep in exasperation, and (tragically) fans whir to a halt. Not to mention the power surges that drain computer batteries and slowly wear away at other equipment. I’m sitting here in the CECAV-Avenir office, and they have cut the power 4 times in the last 20 minutes, for less than 3 minutes each time – just to give you an idea. Last time it came back on the internet connection came back “limited or no connectivity” and then went down, since it’s so sensitive. It won’t come back until tomorrow.

It never ceases to amaze me how the ever present white noise of technology can fill up an office. And, how here, when that background hum ceases, you hear everything outside and remember where you are – people pounding on sheet metal, staccato Ewe greetings, sputtering 1960s diesel MAC trucks crashing in and out of potholes… (did I mention how DESTROYED all the roads are here right now? It’s pitiable, it takes 4 times as long to get anywhere and if you don’t have a moto, there are several major towns you just can’t get to. More on that later.)

The energy situation isn’t the only thing that’s different in Togo in August. First of all, school is out for summer vacation – the morning and afternoon processions of, uniformed children are no more. And since there are no amusement parks or Julian Krinksky day camps in Kpalimé, the kids amuse themselves with tires and rocks, edito and ludo, and, of course, squealing at yovos.

Nothing dries in Togo during rainy season…ever. Since I’ve been here, the laundry I washed (well, just to clarify, I started washing, and then when my knuckles started bleeding after 5 minutes Inno finished it…yovo skin in so infuriatingly fragile!) in the first week is still damp. Every morning we put it out on the line and race home at lunchtime to bring it in as it starts to downpour – if we’re not too late. It’s hilarious in this completely twisted way…just like the constant stomach problems, fatigue and headaches, and fingers that smell like onions and fish for days at a time.

The other thing that is fascinating about Kpalimé in August is the plethora of tourists! Everyone keeps saying that this year there are more yovos than ever in Togo, since the political problems (at least on the surface…) are becoming a distant past, diplomatic ties with the E.U. have been restored and foreign aid is slowly – SLOWLY – trickling back into the country.

It is bizarre not to be one of the only “established” yovos in Kpalimé, because in addition to the tourists who come for a few days to visit the waterfalls and Centre Artisnal, there are students from France, Germany and Switzerland who come to volunteer with various orphanages, environmental NGOs and community associations. I try so hard not to be judgemental (isn’t that terrible?!) We joke that on sunny days the yovos come out of their hotel rooms to get an African tan and then, when it starts to rain, they disappear. It is however a strange and fascinating reality…