On July 5, 1884, a German warship dropped anchor off the Togolese coast. On board, Gustav Nachtigal, emissary of Emperor Wilhelm I and Chancellor Bismarck. Within a few days, Nachtigal signed treaties with several local chiefs and proclaimed the birth of the Schutzgebiet Togo — the German protectorate over Togo. For Aneho, a thirty-year period began that would transform the city.
The arrival of the Germans
The German installation in Aneho was not achieved through frontal violence, as in other African colonies. Berlin authorities, aware of their fragile position on a coast already disputed by the British and French, favored an approach combining diplomatic negotiation and discreet military pressure. Aneho's kings saw in the Germans' arrival both an opportunity and a threat. In 1886, Aneho became the capital of Togoland.
The SVD mission
Among the most influential actors of the German period was the Society of the Divine Word, a missionary congregation. Father Jakob Muller, the mission's emblematic figure, undertook construction of Saints-Pierre-et-Paul Cathedral. He learned Mina and built close relationships with the Guin royal families. His letters and reports are a precious source for historians.
The colonial economy
The German protectorate transformed Aneho's economy. Berlin encouraged export crops: palm oil, cotton, cocoa. The port, equipped with its metal wharf, became a hub of colonial trade. This economic transformation had a high human cost. Forced labor was used for infrastructure construction. Resistance took varied forms: flight to the neighboring Gold Coast, boycotts, diplomatic protests by the Lawson kings.
1914: the end
On August 4, 1914, the Great War erupted in Europe. Togoland was surrounded by British and French territories. On August 26, German troops capitulated. For Aneho, the German defeat meant the end of an era.
German cultural heritage in Aneho
Beyond buildings and infrastructure, the German presence left lasting cultural marks. Some Guin families still carry German first names passed down for generations: Friedrich, Wilhelm, Heinrich. German words slipped into the elders' daily vocabulary, especially in technical and artisanal fields.
What remains of German in Aneho
- Some families still hold German-language documents: birth certificates, property deeds, correspondence
- Saints-Pierre-et-Paul Cathedral bears witness to 19th-century German religious architecture
- Oral histories evoke German administrative rigor, sometimes with nostalgia, sometimes with resentment
- The Togo National Archives in Lome preserve German colonial registers, accessible to researchers
Rehabilitating the German period
Long ignored in the Togolese national narrative, the German period is now the subject of renewed interest. German and Togolese researchers collaborate to digitize colonial archives. Twin city projects between Aneho and German towns are under study. This rehabilitation does not glorify colonization but acknowledges the complexity of a period that deeply marked the city.