The village of Kandé marks the northern edge of the Tamberma Valley. The town is a good place to stay if you want to visit Kéran National Park or the villages in the Tamberma Valley. The valley can easily be explored, as Togo's main north-south route runs through it. Far more interesting is hiking between the villages though.
The typical Tambarma villages in the valley are surrounded by a series of towers, interconnected by a thick wall. There is usually one entrance only. Many of them were founded in the 17th century by refugees fleeing slave traders and forays undertaken by the kings of Abomey. The wall prevented neighboring tribes to invade, as well as German colonizers during the 19th century. As a result the area has always been very isolated and most of the towns are completely intact.
Usually there is an elevated terrace in the compound where people cook and live during the day. Animals are kept underneath the terrace. There are towers with conical straw roofs, where food is kept and the people sleep. The clay, wood and straw used for building the dwellings keeps them quite cool even during hot days. Inside it is very dark and the walls are often decorated with fetish animal skulls. Sometimes there are small altars inside, for sacrificing animals. The similarity with many Dogon villages in Mali is striking.
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