Cultural Stages of Togo Homes

Cultural Stages of Togo Homes
Amlame, Togo West Africa
Tuesday, April 24, 2007

All photos were taken in the Village of Danyi Apeyeme, Togo West Africa, on the Danyi Plateau, about 50 Kilometers North and West of Kpalime.



I would observe and think this home is very old. Take a very close look and you will see a wooden water container with a lid, I am 95 percent, sure, it is not to make Fufu as they look about the same. Cooking is done under the eave of the home. There is the absolute minimal amount of home. The roof is grass. No screens, I am not sure about the bars on the windows, maybe there is not window. I have observed home with a series of 3 to 10 single entrance doors in some countries. I am thinking to make the most amount of air, you need this type of construction, and you want the whole wall to open. I think having doors all the way around the home would give the most amount of ventilation, and then have screens on the door openings. Then only use one for ingress, egress. The problem with a building is air, but it protects you from the elements, animals not so good on mosquitoes.

This photo taken in Danyi, Apeyeme is on the way down to the river, behind the small market where they drink that brew of alcohol.



This home has a steel roof, the wall are still clay adobe, yet hey have made a plaster effect. The water is collected by a gutter into a 55-gallon steel container. The building to the right I the kitchen, now under roof and safe from rain. The window have wood shutter, behind the shutter are bard made of rebar used inside concrete slabs to make strong.

Between the kitchens are the shower and the toilet. I took photos of this toilet, a unique, but very practical and pragmatic design. I think I will post it.

Danyi Apeyeme, Togo West Africa
Home Stay coordinates - Michel and Jane are the Owners
Saturday, April 21, 2007
07 degrees 12.203 North
000 degrees 41.452 East
795 Meters of altitude above sea level




This is not the most modern here, by a long shot; there are luxury homes that would make any USA person jealous. Complete with servants, living quarters and a gardener, I always say, you can tell how rich a person is… Do they have a bodyguard?

Ok, this home is probably concreted; the bars are now on the outside and placed into the wall. There is maybe louvered windows, and screens on the windows.

The porch is luxury, and the size is luxury, I would think they have a shower area around back and who knows for toilet.

This photo was taken in Danyi, Apeyme, Togo up the hill from the middle picture, or the GPS coordinates.

The village has a water tower, however, I do not think they use, good drinking water is free here, and I do not think they could get people to pay, they would just walk and get water and skip the pay idea. This is just a guess, I see nobody using the inside water in the village of

Danyi Apeyeme, Togo West Africa
Home Stay coordinates - Michel and Jane are the Owners
Saturday, April 21, 2007
07 degrees 12.203 North
000 degrees 41.452 East
795 Meters of altitude above sea level

From an architectural, culture point of view, this small city was great. Danyi Apeyeme, Togo West Africa is small enough to still use typical water gathering methods from the river, has just installed electricity, has a water tower, but seems to be not be used. In one small region of this country, in one small trek you can see all this in one hour. The river, the building, the construction methods. There are all layers of the culture in one area to view and try to understand or not understand, but muse.

Architecture, Togo Architecture, West Africa Architecture, Culture West Africa, Culture, Construction, Water, Toilets and Showers,

Cultural Stages of Togo Homes

Quality of Life Architecture

Quality of Life Architecture
Danyi Apeyeme, Togo West Africa
Sunday, April 22, 2007

I am trying to understand my planet, I am not sure we are evolving to higher levels. I am positive some sections or parts of all societies are become superstars, however the general population is in many way being lead to slaughter.

I am wondering if the Star Trek, Dr. Spock simple common sense, stated clear and easy will come to past, or is the future a world full of fat people walking though malls, sports bars, and soap operas.

Sort of the Seven Deadly Sins exaggerated.

QUOTES from Encarta Encyclopedia (2)

Seven Deadly Sins, classification of sins: pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth.
… There is no foundation in the Bible for this classification…
… These seven sins are not singled out because they are all grievous sins or because of their severity, but because they are the inevitable source of other sins …
End Quote

Sin or not a sin, not really a concern to me, I guess I do care about the quality of life.

I think primitive man went and grabbed a tree limb, went into a cave, then I hope, or think they must have really thought about this decision, saying to themselves, is this a good idea.

Introspection is this good idea, or did they just sit around being food for lions. Some surely were just food, but some continually survived and conquered the planet.

I know my problem; I want everyone to conquer the planet, not just some.

I see these steel roofs on homes, they are taking over the planet, and they are rusty and ugly. I think they are very hot, but they are easy, simple, and cheap and stop the rain from dousing the cooking flame.

Did anyone stop and think, is this really a good idea.

Life is simple, most of us do the minimums, I was trying to get a moto taxi to the Ghana Border, most of the taxi boys were Sunday Drunk on this mash beer they drink, I opted out. They do not drive safe on good days, there is no need, simple decisions.

There are many small soap operas on the planet, contrary to what the world wishes to tell you, the suffering is not so real, the world lives darn good.

I see the most suffering probably by people who are old, with no pensions, and people who were hit by cars, and now cannot walk straight. When you lose in the battle to fend for yourself because you are a cripple or old, then life is bad. All them other issues seem sort of soap opera to me.

Note: Blogging is not needed, something I do for kicks, pure luxury for me, but introspection should be a need, but it is not.

Architecture, Sins, Togo, Roofs, Building, Construction,
Quality of Life Architecture

Togo Teak Mahogany

Togo Teak Mahogany
Kametonou Togo West Africa
April 2007

What is this wood, there is no way to be sure, except to ask an expert, and then try to hope the expert is an expert.

This is a photo of wood along side the road that leads up the small village at the Togo - Ghana Border. I am on the Togo side in the small village of Kametonou Togo West Africa



There were regular, maybe 2 x 14 inch rough-cut planks, and then this rectangular block cut style wood chunks. Michael offered a couple of names for them, I semi-refused the answers as I had already said the word Mahogany before he used the word.

Learning is so incredibly frustrating; it takes the 99 percent frustration and the one-person inspiration to learn accurately. I get a hint on something, and then I need to follow up on the hints.

I can give many examples of data or information that is inherently troublesome and fraught with problems.

Example:
The ethnic groups is maybe Ewe and the language is Mina, however if you ask a person what group they are part of, I have never hear them say Ewe, I hear them say Mina. Therefore if most or the extreme majority of people say they are Mina, can we call them Ewe.

Large amounts of Teak, Mahogany and other valuable woods were harvested and taken out of Africa; therefore, there is the perception that these forests have these trees. However, if they did a very good job, then what are left may be other varieties of trees. I made the mistake of asking Michael,
- Are these mahogany trees? -

He then says later, when he fully understood my question and said,
- Mahogany.-

His first answer was something in Mina, and like Oawa. The truth is, Michaels sells clothing to women, and he may know some information about the clothing industry. I need to find the proverbial horse’s mouth to find the truth and everyone knows the answers, however I am 99 percent sure, and they do not.

I read, maybe that Teak and Mahogany grow here, my map, the one I purchased in Kpalime has small symbols that indicated that teak is grown in those areas.

Everyone is an expert on everything on the planet, and I am positive there are very few experts on issues.

In this village, I counted 8 large piles of wood, about 5 x 5 x 20 Foot in size, this is a large amount of wood in a village where all the home are made of clay adobe or concrete. It does appear they was harvesting the wood. The lumber people of Africa seem to have came and took what was easy to find and cut.

Togo Teak Mahogany