Togo: The Ekpesoso ritual listed by UNESCO, a symbol of cultural identity and international influence
Togo has reached a new milestone in valorizing its living heritage and projecting its international image with the inscription of the “Ekpesoso” ritual on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list on December 11, 2025, in New Delhi.
This official recognition highlights the cultural richness of the Guin people of southern Togo and, beyond that, illustrates the ability of the country to connect ancestral traditions with modernity, while consolidating its credibility on the regional and global stage.
The success of this process, the result of a methodical approach led by the Guingbé Academy of Endogenous Knowledge, supported by the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, reflects the institutional maturity and political stability enjoyed by the country.
Togo thus demonstrates its capacity to structure and promote its cultural resources, placing such practices within a legal framework recognized internationally.
This effort goes beyond mere folklore; it is part of a national policy to valorize local knowledge as a lever for development and social cohesion.
The inscription of “Ekpesoso” serves as a strategic tool of cultural diplomacy, enhancing Togo’s visibility regionally and globally.
It helps position Togo as a model of proactive cultural policy, where heritage preservation and openness to the world mutually reinforce one another.
By highlighting this ritual, Togo is not only honoring a tradition it is affirming a national trajectory firmly oriented toward social inclusion, modernization, and the strengthening of a credible and radiant national image.
This UNESCO inscription shows that the country knows how to blend its cultural identity with lasting institutional stability and a clear strategic ambition on both the African and world stages.
Kodjovi Makafui
