Togo, Africa

Togo's small sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Cotton, coffee, and cocoa together generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic food goods when harvests are normal, with occasional regional supply difficulties.
Eyadema Gnassingbe died in early 2005 after thirty-eight years in power, as Africa's longest-sitting dictator. The military's immediate but short-lived installation of his son, Faure Gnassingbé, as president provoked widespread international condemnation.
Homosexuality is religiously acceptable in Voodoo practices and homosexuals are allowed to participate in all religious activities. However, in countries with large Voodoo populations (such as Benin, Togo or Haiti), some Christian influence may have given homosexuality a social stigma at least on some levels of society. Accoring to the laws of the state homosexual acts are illegal and are often prosecuted as rape or assault, punishable with fines and up to 3 years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 CFA francs.

 

 

Living a Double Life: HIV and Men Who Have Sex with Men

HIV has a devastating impact on men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nigeria. “Because of stigma, discrimination, homophobia, and criminalization that MSM face in the course of their lives in many African countries, many are reluctant to access health care services and participate in research thus heightening their vulnerability to HIV infection,” says… Read more »

TOGO : L’Eglise sensibilise ses homosexuels contre le Sida

L’initiative œcuménique de lutte contre le VIH/SIDA en Afrique (EHAIA) poursuit sa mission en faveur des groupes spécifiques, particulièrement exposés au fléau, au sein des églises. Les estimations sont suffisamment évocatrices de l’ampleur du phénomène au sein des églises au Togo. L’EHAIA estime à plus de 2000, la communauté d’homosexuels avec laquelle son programme travaille,… Read more »

Togo’s MSM Community Hold Transvestite Beauty Pageant

The MSM community in Togo recently organised and held its annual Mr and Miss MSM Togo event in the capital, Lomé. The event is an initiative of the Club of Seven Days, the first LGBTI organisation in Togo, with the sponsorship of PSI (Population Services International) via RAS+ (the network of people living with HIV/Aids… Read more »

Togo: RIP Gerard Selom Ephoe Sasou – Fellow Activist, Friend And A Brother

The MSM community in Togo is mourning the death one of its members, Gerald Sélom Ephoé Sasou, known by many as a great activist and proudly gay, who passed away last month. A pillar of the MSM community in Togo, Sasou fought all his life for the recognition and the rights of MSM people, and… Read more »

Gay Togo News & Reports

1 Men in the Middle: Reaching Non-Gay Identified MSM in Togo 3/09 March 18, 2009 – PSI BCC Blog 1 Men in the Middle: Reaching Non-Gay Identified MSM in Togo A growing body of evidence around men who have sex with men (MSM) in Africa suggests that this long-ignored population is not only present, but… Read more »