Togo Celebrates Culture with 8th Traditional Dances Festival

Culture

Wednesday, 09 April 2025 11:07

Togo Celebrates Culture with 8th Traditional Dances Festival

(Togo First) - Togo officially launched its eighth National Festival of Traditional Dances (FESNAD) on April 3, 2025, in Kara. Governor Adjitowou Komlan presided over the ceremony, reaffirming the country’s commitment to celebrating its rich intangible heritage.

The Ministry of Communication, Media, and Culture, through the Department for the Promotion of Arts and Culture, supports this major cultural event. This year’s theme, "Our dances, our identity, our pride," encapsulates the government’s ambition to anchor traditional choreographic practices in collective memory. The ministry emphasized the urgency of preserving these practices amidst societal, urban, and media shifts that threaten their role in Togolese society.

Governor Komlan highlighted the deeper significance of traditional dances. He stated that these dances not only serve aesthetic purposes but also strengthen community bonds, foster solidarity, and reaffirm social ties.

This year’s FESNAD includes a national competition among folklore groups from Togo’s administrative regions. Each region will select a representative during local competitions to compete in the national finals in Lomé on April 26. The final coincides with Togo’s 65th Independence Day celebrations.

Organizers aim to inspire creativity while safeguarding endangered choreographic forms. They stressed that these forms face marginalization due to cultural globalization and declining community practices.

The festival serves as both a tribute to heritage and a tool for national unity. Organizers described FESNAD as a vital platform for recognizing cultural identity and fostering cohesion.

Esaïe Edoh

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