Tado
Encyclopedia
Tado is a village
in south east Togo
, near the border with Benin
.
Tradition states that Tado was the birthplace of the Aja people at some point in the 12th or 13th century. Today the Aja populate the south part of Togo and Benin. It is also the reputed birthplace of Gangnihessou
, the first king of Dahomey
, in the 16th century.
Today Tado is a centre of pilgrim
age for Aja people from across the region, who visit the village each August to pray for their ancestral spirits.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in south east Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, near the border with Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
.
Tradition states that Tado was the birthplace of the Aja people at some point in the 12th or 13th century. Today the Aja populate the south part of Togo and Benin. It is also the reputed birthplace of Gangnihessou
Gangnihessou
Gangnihessou, or Ganye Hessou, is the first of the traditional "twelve kings of Dahomey." Dahomey was an African kingdom situated in what is now Benin.- Descent :...
, the first king of Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
, in the 16th century.
Today Tado is a centre of pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
age for Aja people from across the region, who visit the village each August to pray for their ancestral spirits.