12/06/2023
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗘 🇹🇬 𝗬𝗢𝗥𝗨𝗕𝗔 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗣𝗔𝗠𝗘.
Atakpame is the Fourth largest city in Togo by population and is situated in the center of the country in a majority Yoruba speaking part called Ogou which has a population of around 260,000 people. The dialect of Yoruba spoken here is called Ifè.
Atakpame is located on a hilly wooded savannah about 500m in elevation at the eastern end of the Atakora mountain range. Together with Kpalimé, it represents the last major settlements of Yoruba origin dotted between the Niger and the Volta rivers. Today, while Atakpame is majorly Ife speaking, Kpalime is majority Ewe speaking. The Ife people of Togo trace their history from Ife in Nigeria to Ija Oku and Chabe (Savè) in Benin. It was from there that they migrated to the originally Yoruba city of Chabelu (now Savalou) in Benin before crossing over into their territory in what would later become central Togo.
In the 1764 Battle of Atakpamé, the town was the site of a clash between the Akan state of Akyem with the Oyo Empire against the forces of the Ashanti Empire. The result of the battle was a crushing defeat of the Ashanti forces and the death of their Juabenhene (head of one of the royal clans). Today, most native residents of the city belong the Ana subgroup of the Yoruba people. Other Yoruba speaking settlements in the locality include; Akpare, Goubi, Djama, Kaboli, Okutaya, Anie, Kamina, Moretan - Igberioko, Kolokope, Glei, Alabata.
Atakpame is fondly referred to as the city of 7 hills (sept collines). Some of these hills include: Oke Omi kosi, Oke Batabali, Oke Agemo, Oke Akposso, Oke Mefa, Oke Ekpa and Oke Ologbo. Just like many other towns in Yorubaland, where myths are explored to trace the people’s roots, Atakpame’s history is not complete without reference to the mountains. According to some elders of the town, the rocks played supernatural roles when the natives were engaged in battles with other ethnic groups.