Taking Togo to Its Heart

Togo has turned this historic spa town into the Africa of the Alps.

The Togolese flag is a more common sight than the national one these days as this community of 27,000 sheds its staid conservative image and embraces its African World Cup visitors with very un-Germanic gusto.

Local restaurants have offered Togolese fare alongside the more traditional sausages and schnitzel. There are fundraising parties for the poor West African nation and a local hairdresser is offering special Togo haircuts, with each one resulting in a euro being donated to development aid.

Youths on street corners can be overheard practicing their pronunciation of “Les Eperviers,” the French translation of Hawks, the nickname of the Togo squad, which begins World Cup play Tuesday against South Korea in Frankfurt. A local band, the Double Cooked Pork Slices, has composed a song titled “Miawo-ezon-Lo-o (Welcome Strangers Who Have Traveled So Far).”

And a friendly match late Tuesday between the local FC Wangen and the Hawks became THE event of the year, packed with 7,500 spectators, twice the previous record attendance, all cheering for Togo.

“It’s a huge event for Wangen to be hosting a team in the World Cup finals,” said 30-year-old mechanic Stefan Stolli as he hoisted his 3-year-old daughter, Lara, on his shoulders to escape the post-match crowd. “And we hope that we are demonstrating that the Germany of today is open and welcoming.”

Germany still has a reputation for far-right extremism and intolerance of foreigners, especially from formerly Communist Eastern states.

But Mayor Michael Lang stresses that there is none of that kind of thinking in his town, situated in the rolling foothills of the Alps and popular with tourists for its historic buildings, its clear air, its stunning scenery and its colorful weekly fruit and vegetable market.

The Togo team moved into the southern German town on May 15 for their pre-tournament training under the watchful eye of their new coach, German veteran Otto Pfister.

The team has remained secluded at a local hotel and its training sessions have been closed to the public so far, meaning there has been relatively little contact between the players and their adoring hosts.

But even so, a huge poster of Togolese playmaker and recent Arsenal signing, Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor, adorns one of the walls near the entrance to the old town. Togo’s green, gold and red flag is in most shop windows, alongside welcoming signs in French and German.

Brochures have been distributed explaining Togo’s history as a former German colony in the early 1900s and its more recent turbulent past under the military rule of Gen. Gnassingbe Eyadema, the father of current President Faure Gnassingbe.

“We’ve a huge amount about Togo and its traditions,” resident Sasha Rolli said proudly.

Shouts of “Let’s go, Togo, let’s go,” punctuated the beat of African drums at Tuesday night’s match.

The hugely partisan crowd -- in favor of the visitors -- went wild when Adebayor scored the first goal in the 32nd minute.

The applause kept coming until Togo took a 4-0 lead in an otherwise mediocre match. The players were mobbed as they made their way to the VIP tent after the match.

“Wangen is really, really happy to have Togo here,” said Roswitha Welte, a 65-year-old grandmothers who was sporting a Togolese T-shirt and selling cakes outside the stadium. “It’s great for our reputation.

“I’m not a soccer fan. But, do you know, this has made me decide to watch some matches.”