Posted
on April 27, 2016
Two
West African nations celebrate their independence today.
Here's
a difference:
Togo
became independent of France on this date in 1960, and Sierra Leone
became independent of the United Kingdom on this date in 1961.
Because of this difference, Togo's official language is French, and
Sierra Leone's is English.
Here's
a similarity:
Both
countries celebrate in typical ways: speeches by government
officials, marches and parades, work holidays and gatherings and
banquets.
Here's
a difference:
Togo
relies mostly on agriculture, but Sierra Leone is rich with mineral
wealth, such as diamonds, titanium, bauxite, rutile, and gold. The
latter is also blessed with one of the world's largest natural
harbors.
Here's
a similarity:
A
majority of the people in both nations are poor, and life expectancy
in both nations is low, people averaging lifetimes of only 56 or 57
years. These sad truths must stem partly from the fact that both
nations were ravaged by centuries of slavery and partly from the fact
that the governments of both nations have been unstable; Togo
suffered from a military coup and 38-year dictatorship, and Sierra
Leone suffered from a deadly civil war and the recent Ebola outbreak.
And
here are some interesting things to see in Togo and Sierra Leone:
TOGO
- Koutammakou, land of the Batammariba, with their two-story mud
“tower houses”
SIERRA
LEONE – Bunce Island features a British “slave castle” –
thankfully, now long unused and being reclaimed by the forest!
TOGO
- The fetish market, where you can buy feathers, skulls, skins, and
herbs
SIERRA
LEONE – Outamba-Kilimi
National Park
features loads of wildlife plus ancient rainforests
TOGO
– The Grand Marche, an open-air market extraordinaire!
SIERRA
LEONE – The “banana islands” are rather banana shaped – and
lovely!
TOGO
– Hikes and sights near Kpalime
SIERRA
LEONE – Lumley Beach is becoming far more developed, but parts
still look like this
To
learn more about Togo, check out this earlier post. And this post is about Sierra Leone.
Also
on this date:
|
Plan
ahead:
Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
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