MF DOOM (born Daniel Dumile) was not only one of the greatest lyricists in the history of hip-hop, but also one of hip-hop’s most unique personalities. MF DOOM began his career as a member of KMD. KMD was a trio which included DOOM (then known as Zev Love X) Subroc (DOOM’s brother), and Onyx.

Carlos Ketohou, who is the director of a private newspaper known as L’Indépendant Express (Independent Express) was recently arrested at his home. Prior to the arrest he reported that two female ministers were caught stealing golden spoons and forks at a party hosted by a banking institution.

This action is coming from a regime which has a history of harassing journalists. In 2003, Togo was ranked as one of the worst places in the world to be a journalist. Ten years later, in 2013, the government of Togo fired rubber bullets and teargas at journalists who were protesting new censorship authority granted to the government media regulator. Sylvio Combey, president of a local press freedom group who participated in the sit-in, complained: “We were not armed, yet the police were shooting directly at us in a deliberate attempt to injure us.” …

Brigitte Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson was one of two opposition leaders who were arrested and detained in Togo last week. She is currently facing charges for “harming national security and associating with criminals”. Darius Atsoo, the lawyer who represented Adjamagbo-Johnson stated that the charges lacked strong evidence. Adjamagbo-Johnson is being accused of threatening national security in Togo. Her true offense was daring to speak out against the government of Faure Gnassingbé.

Faure has been the president of Togo since 2005. He was installed in power after his father, the previous dictator, died. Since 1967, Togo has been ruled by the same family. Since that time, the Gnassingbé has engaged in every human right violation imaginable. This has included murder, torture, and arbitrary arrest to name but a few. …

Despite Faure Gnassingbe’s long record of human rights violations, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) decided to gift Faure with $35 million. Despite the talk about reforms in Togo and improvements in governance, Faure has demonstrated once again the true nature of his dictatorial government. Togo’s MCC Program began recently as the government in Togo is coming under increasing scrutiny over the arrest and interrogation of opposition leaders Brigitte Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson and Gérard Dodji Djossou. This is the latest example of political repression in a nation that has been under the rule of an oppressive dictatorship since 1967.

Adjamagbo-Johnson is not only a political activist who has been very critical of the government of Togo, but she is the first woman in Togo’s history to run for president. This makes her arrest even more significant because it comes at a time when the regime in Togo has been touting its inclusion of women in government, including the appointment of Togo’s first female prime minister. As is usually the case with the dictatorship in Togo, these apparent reforms are done in an attempt to improve the government’s public image, particularly among the international community. The reality is that the regime in Togo is still as repressive as it has ever been. …

In September the dictator of Togo appointed the nation’s first female prime minister, Victoire Tomegah-Dogbe. Dogbe is one of a number of women who were recently appointed to ministerial positions in Togo. Essozimna Marguerite Gnakade was named as the nation’s first defense minister. In total, women comprise of 30% of the ministerial positions in the government of Togo.

These appointments represent more of the same in Togo. For example, Gnakade is serving as head of the defense ministry, but she has no prior military experience. Her qualification is that she was the wife of Ernest Gnassingbé, the deceased brother of Togo’s current dictator Faure Gnassingbé. …

“For me, the restrictions under COVID-19 bring back childhood memories of growing up under the military regime in Togo: of parents rushing home by 7pm to avoid the patrols; of one of my cousins suffering brain damage after violating the curfew; of hearing stories of soldiers terrorising civilians, robbing homes and businesses, and engaging in rape and murder. I remember being told that we ought to thank President Gnassingbé Eyadéma for maintaining peace and stability, even as tens of thousands of people fled the country.” -Farida Nabourema

A recent report from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation index claims that Togo is one of the most secure and safe countries in Africa. …

The Gnassingbé family has held power in Togo since 1967. During that period they have managed to make Togo one of the poorest and most miserable countries in the world. In recent years — due in large part to the protests which began in 2017 — this dynasty has come under increasing international scrutiny and has been scrambling to try to improve its image. This has included holding local elections for the first time in 30 years in 2019. The government also paid $1,500 an hour to a firm in D.C. to improve the government’s tainted international image.

I read recently that the regime in Togo is boasting that it is the second best reformer in Africa. This claim is based on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)’s scorecard. Togo validated 15 out of the 20 indicators on the MCC’s scorecard for 2021. This placed Togo second behind Cape Verde among African countries.The the five indicators where Togo performed best are business start-ups, primary education expenditures, freedom of information, fiscal policy, and access to credit. The scorecard also noted significant improvements were recorded in other key indicators, such as control of corruption, land rights, and rule of law.

The report was celebrated by President Faure Gnassingbé. he attributed the score to the “many reforms implemented in multiple sectors, especially relative to governance, economic freedom, and investment in human…