Aného
Togo's first colonial capital, a small old port town between lagoon and sea, where colonial buildings and vodun culture intertwine.
Aného lies about 45 km east of Lomé, close to the Benin border. In the 19th century it was a port for the slave and palm oil trades, and it was also the first capital of German Togoland. The old town has weathered colonial-era trading houses, churches and Portuguese-style residences. Squeezed between the lagoon and the ocean, its fishing-village scenery and beaches are worth a walk. Every September, the Epé Ekpé festival marks the New Year of the Gen people, with a ritual in which the colour of sacred stones is read to predict the year ahead. It can serve as a transit point for travel to Benin's Grand-Popo and Ouidah.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Togoville
- Woold Homé (Slave House of Agbodrafo)
- Lake Togo
- Akodessewa Fetish Market
- International Museum of African Art of the Gulf of Guinea (MIAA)
- Lomé Beach & Boulevard du Mono
- Sacred Heart Cathedral of Lomé
- Grand Marché de Lomé