Togo Travel Diary - July 2024

Monday, July 15th - Day 6:

Today started with a bit of a shuffle—our prison meeting was pushed to 10 AM, giving me just enough time to grab breakfast and swing by the bank before heading to the workshop to meet Anani. We spent the morning preparing threads for the day ahead. Finding a shared taxi turned into an adventure in itself, with our ride getting stopped by the police at a roundabout. We were held up for a solid half-hour before we managed to snag another lift. I was mortified at the thought of being late, but to my relief, no one else seemed to care. Haha!

At the prison, our first stop was a meeting with the chief, who has now become our “new Alex.” Surprisingly, he was incredibly sweet and helpful. He even called the director overseeing all of Togo’s prisons to confirm that we could begin construction immediately! We also arranged a meeting with him in Lomé on Thursday. Do you have any suggestions for the agenda?

Shortly after, Dodzi arrived—a small man, masked up and initially a bit awkward around the prison. But once inside, he really found his stride. We walked around taking measurements, and despite the width being only 9.75 meters, we decided to keep the roof at 7 meters wide. Dodzi was meticulous and confident, and I’m feeling good about his ability to manage the project. No challenges in sight, at least for now!

One of the soldiers kindly took some photos with my phone, but they were super strict about ensuring no prisoners were in the frame. All the photos have to be reviewed and approved by a senior officer afterward.

JayJay was busy teaching in the workshop, and they’ve already completed nine Kente strips since Friday. Anani later paid for them and took them home. JayJay seems confident and fully in control—his leadership is really starting to shine.

I had a meeting with Dodzi in the prison bar (yes, there’s a prison bar!), and he promptly ordered a Pilsner (definitely approved!). We went over the contract, and he accepted all the points, with just a few tweaks to his details. He mentioned that the plastic sheets for the roof are six times more expensive than aluminum, so we agreed to only have four windows at the top, each measuring 1 x 1.5 meters. What do you think? I couldn’t negotiate the price any lower since we’ve already added plastic and gutters to the original cost. Dodzi has rented a workshop in Anfoin, which will make it easier to transport materials to Vogan. They hope to start on Wednesday if the bank transfers come through in time, and they should begin installing the roof at the prison next week. We’ll sign the contract as soon as we have a confirmed start date.

Camilla and Gilles called to check in on the bank details. It’s a relief to know they’re on top of that.

Next, we headed over to the carpenter’s to inspect the loom he’s crafted. It’s almost perfect, with just a few adjustments needed. We ordered the remaining seven looms and paid 50% upfront, but with the stipulation that the rest will only be paid if they’re all flawless. He expects to have them ready by Saturday. Anani discussed the possibility of renting a nearby room since he’ll need to be at the prison at least two days a week, and he no longer has his apartment in Aneho. The carpenter showed us a place that Anani and Gilles had rented before but never used due to the pandemic. Anani has also secured a deposit for the large cotton order, so his finances are looking a bit better now.

We hopped on motorbikes and then shared a taxi. Anani realized he’d forgotten his bag at the prison and had to jump out, while I continued the journey with my seven new friends in the taxi to Aneho ;-)

Back at the hotel, I waited to see if I’d be able to make it to the bank today. I spent the afternoon catching up with all of you :-) as well as Gilles, Bernard, Dodzi, Merkur, and the PRS man.

In the evening, I returned to the workshop and had a lovely time with the girls as they weaved. Amuarin, Anani, Fulli, and I then headed out for dinner at a spaghetti bar before dropping Fulli off at Dede’s on the way home. Goodnight from here ;-)