LOMÉ, TOGO
Lomé is the capital and largest city in Togo. It has a lot of beaches but also the largest voodoo fetish market in the world.

First...the beaches of Lomé...





Some people in the shade under the boat (it was around 90 deg F at the time, with high humidity)...



A highway that goes along the beach...



A nearby side street (most side streets, except in the very center of town, are unpaved)...



Typical downtown street in Lomé...



The Grand Marche market...



An intersection with the French style of direction markers (this is a former French colony, after all)...



The van that I took to go from Lomé to Kpalimé (typical Togolese intercity travel). There were around 15 people (plus several babies) in this van...



Voodoo (also called "vodum") is common in Togo and originated in neighboring Benin. There was a voodoo fetish market in the outskirts of Lomé. I went when there was a threat of rain (just light rain fell), so a lot of the items were covered up. However, these items included animal carcasses, skulls, etc., used for spells and medicine. (If you're grossed out by these things...don't continue any further!)

First...miscellaneous items at the voodoo fetish market...



Various animal carcasses and skulls...



A skull on display...



Various animal skins, bones, etc...



This person gives blessings (in this case, using things like voodoo dolls and ebony seeds)...



Horsehair was common here...



There were live animals here (as was the case most everywhere in Togo)...



Some kind of metallic objects...



Most of the items were covered up due to the threat of rain (it was also late afternoon when fewer customers were there)...



There were also many wood carvings at the voodoo fetish market (super-common in most of Sub-Saharan Africa)...





All of the above pictures on this page were taken in February 2014 by Brandt Maxwell.

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