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The Pineapple Village Lodge in Davedi, Togo

If there is any village in Togo resembling the Garden of Eden, then Davedi is the place. Historically Davedi was founded by a couple: Dan the man and Evedo his wife. They were the descendants of the great Kingdom of Notse, which declined in 1720 at the reign of the strong King: Agokoli. Currently about 1500 people are living in the village.

Davedi is a rural village, situated about 60 kilometers northeast of Lomé. Typical for Davedi are its vast pineapple fields which are an important source of income. Like any other rural population in West Africa, the majority of the people are farmers. For Davedi oil palm trees and pineapples are the main cash crops. While men are mainly engaged in palm wine distillation, women are enganged in processing palm nuts into palm oil.

The village constitutes of 6 quarters according to the various clans. In each quarter there is a chief, followed in hierarchy by clan heads and family heads. The head of all Davedi is the chief of the village: Chief Dessou IV.

There are many African religions in Davedi. Some worship the God of thunder, others "Mami Water", the God of Water. But Christianity has won many souls.

The Pineapple Village Lodge in Davedi

At the time of writing the construction of basic accommodation is in an advanced state. A mud-brick building with thatch roofing is completed, offering two guestrooms. Work on the toilet and kitchen facilities are ongoing (May 2012).

Turning Davedi into a small-scale eco-destination was the initiative of Isaac Aziawoo, who was born in Davedi. Isaac has been working with Jolinaiko Eco Tours as a guide since 2009 and shares our vision on fueling local development through tourism. His commitment and character inspired two tourists who travelled with him in 2010 to donate seed funding for the realization of the Village Lodge in Davedi.

You can read more about Davedi and Isaac on the website of the Stepping Stones for Africa Foundation (currently in Dutch only).

During your stay at the Pineapple Village Lodge, you can take part in various 'community experiences' which are organized by the villagers.

More photos of Davedi and the Pineapple Village Lodge can be found in our photo album.

Location

Davedi is located about 45 km northwest of Lomé, on the road from Tsevie to Gati:

Davedi location » View both Jolinaiko Village Lodges on a full-screen interactive Google map

“ From June till August 2010 we have travelled with our 3 kids (5, 8 and 11 years old) through Ghana, Togo and Benin for 8 weeks. The last 5 weeks we have travelled with Jolinaiko tours.

The program was set up very well by Cindy and completely fullfilled our needs and wishes. It was a great, great experience to travel together with our guide Apollo, as well as for us as for the children. The numerous discussions and talks we had about the life in West Africa, the visits to the villages, markets and meetings with the local people and their traditions, the chats and laughs we had, the games we played makes it a once in a life time experience for all of us.

Travelling by car with a guide and driver (in our case Evans and Nashirou) is to our opinion the most convenient way to cross these countries. It felt safe, in our case with the kids off course the most important aspect, we have visited places and regions you can't easily reach by public transport, we were flexible and we have seen and heard a lot of the country, the people and its habits.

We left Ghana with the feeling that we have really experienced the life in West Africa! Apollo and Cindy, thank you very much! ”

Schonk family,
The Netherlands.