Togo: 10th Edition of Black Divinities Festival Held in Glidji and Aného

Culture

Wednesday, 15 January 2025 08:57

Togo: 10th Edition of Black Divinities Festival Held in Glidji and Aného

(Togo First) - The towns of Aného (45 km East of Lomé) and Glidji are hosting the tenth edition of the Festival des Divinités Noires (Black Divinities Festival) until January 19, 2025. This festival celebrates Africa's rich and diverse cultural heritage.

This year, the festival is dedicated to Brazil and includes various activities. Highlights include the Fâ mass, a divinatory art practiced in Togo, Nigeria, and Benin.

There will also be parades from African and Afro-Brazilian initiation societies, conferences, concerts, and workshops on Samba (a Brazilian dance) and Maracatu (a Brazilian carnival procession).

The festival pays tribute to the late Nei Futuro Bitencourt, a former Brazilian ambassador to Togo, for his role in organizing the event.

Vincent Harisdo, a member of the organizing committee, said this edition aims to strengthen the historical and spiritual ties between Africa and the Americas while giving young people a chance to connect with their culture.

The Festival des Divinités Noires was created in 2006 and is organized by the Acofin Association.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

REFORMS OVERVIEW

STARTING A BUSINESS (more info)

At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

TRADING ACROSS BORDERS (more info)

In comparison to previous years,Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

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GETTING ELECTRICITY (more info)

Over the past two years, Togo’s ranking under the Doing Business’ Getting electricity and water indicator has increased consistently. Owing this performance to multiple reforms aimed at making it easier for businesses to access power and water, Lomé plans to introduce even more reforms this year to keep up its improvements.

REGISTERING A PROPERTY (more info)

Out of all the 'Doing Business’ indicators, Property Registration is where Togo has improved the most since 2018. Indeed, after spending years in the lowest part of this ranking, the country now seeks to beat Rwanda which is the best performer on this index in Africa. To do so, Lomé has been introducing many reforms, with the latest batch implemented this year.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

To improve its business environment, Togo introduced some important reforms related to the payment of tax and duties. From the replacement of some taxes to the cancellation of others through exemptions, the country has only one objective: offer the most attractive tax framework to investors and economic operators. To achieve this, the authorities relied on digitization.