Togo
Salut a toi, pays de nos aieux
Hail to Thee, Land of Our Forefathers
1960
1960
Alex Casimir-Dosseh
Alex Casimir-Dosseh
🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🗽 Independence 🤝 Unity |
Context
Adopted at Togo's independence from France in 1960. Alex Casimir-Dosseh wrote both the lyrics and the music, making it a complete single-author composition. Togo has a unique colonial history, having 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.
Lyrics
Salut a toi, pays de nos aieux,
Toi qui les rendais forts, paisibles et joyeux,
Cultivant vertu, vaillance.
Que viennent les tyrans, ton coeur soupire vers la liberte.
Togo, debout! Luttons sans defaillance,
Vainquons ou mourons, mais dans la dignite.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Interesting facts
- • Alex Casimir-Dosseh is the sole author of both the lyrics and music, one of the few African anthem creators to compose the entire work
- • Togo was originally a German colony called Togoland before being divided between France and Britain after World War I
- • The anthem's line 'conquer or die, but with dignity' echoes similar revolutionary sentiments found in the anthems of other Francophone African nations