Togo National Anthem

Terre de nos aïeux

Terre de nos aieux

Hail to Thee, Land of Our Forefathers

Written 1960

Adopted 1960

Lyrics Alex Casimir-Dosseh, F. Gonyuie, with Robert Casimir Dosseh-Anyron

Music Alex Casimir-Dosseh (the presidency also credits F. Gonyuie)

🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom ✝ God / Faith ⚔ Battle / War | Defiant

Key Facts

1. Togo's anthem is sung in French, the country's official language. In 2024 an official of the national civic education directorate called for it to be translated into all of Togo's national languages to make it more widely accessible.
2. Under the one-party regime the anthem was replaced in 1979 by another anthem, 'Unité nationale' (National Unity), and restored in 1992. The national motto 'Travail, Liberté, Patrie' (Work, Liberty, Fatherland) went the same way: replaced by 'Union, paix, solidarité' (Union, Peace, Solidarity) in 1979 and restored in 1992.
3. Togolese schools hold flag-raising assemblies at which the anthem is sung. In 2022, after inspections found these ceremonies being run carelessly, the education minister's circular no. 208/2022 instructed all schools to observe them with more seriousness.
4. Insulting the anthem or the flag is an offence under Togo's 2015 penal code, punishable by a fine of 50,000 to 200,000 CFA francs; when committed by a group, the penalty is one to six months in prison and a fine of 500,000 to 2,000,000 CFA francs.

Togo National Anthem Lyrics

Salut à toi pays de nos aïeux, Toi qui les rendais forts, paisibles et joyeux, Cultivant vertu, vaillance, pour la postérité. Que viennent les tyrans, ton cœur soupire vers la liberté, Togo debout, luttons sans défaillance, Vainquons ou mourons, mais dans la dignité, Grand Dieu, toi seul nous as exaltés, Du Togo pour la prospérité, Togolais viens, bâtissons la cité. Dans l'unité nous voulons te servir, C'est bien là de nos cœurs, le plus ardent désir, Clamons fort notre devise, que rien ne peut ternir. Seul artisan de ton bonheur, ainsi que de ton avenir, Brisons partout les chaînes de la traîtrise, Et nous te jurons toujours fidélité, Et aimer servir, se dépasser, Faire encore de toi sans nous lasser, Togo chéri, l'or de l'humanité. Salut, Salut à l'Univers entier, Unissons nos efforts sur l'immense chantier, D'où naîtra, toute nouvelle, la Grande Humanité. Partout, au lieu de la misère, apportons la félicité, Chassons du monde la haine rebelle, Finis l'esclavage et la Captivité, A l'étoile de la liberté, Renouons la solidarité, Des Nations dans la fraternité.

Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals

Analysis

Editorial

The anthem was officially adopted on 27 April 1960, the day Togo became independent. The presidency credits the words and music to Alex Casimir-Dosseh and F. Gonyuie, and says that Robert Casimir Dosseh-Anyron, then vicar general of the Archdiocese of Lomé, gave the text its lyrical touch. Togo had been a German colony (Togoland) before being divided between France and Britain after World War I. The anthem references ancestral heritage and the call for freedom.