Fete de l'Independance
National holiday. April 27, 1960, when Togo gained independence from France. The green, yellow, red, and white flag with its star flies from every building, military parades march through Lomé, and the president addresses the nation. Independence Day in Togo carries complicated weight because the post-independence period brought authoritarian rule, but the day itself celebrates the moment Togo stood on its own feet for the first time. Families gather, the fufu flows, and the nation pauses to remember what self-determination means.