bataba désirée
1.7K posts
@batdes
Knowledge Management, Communication Specialist, Partnerships, International Development, Fulbright Alumni, Afro-Optimist, African and Proud❤
As we mark #WorldWaterDay 2026, Mtchera Chirwa, Director for Water Development and Sanitation at the @AfDB_Group, highlights that the institution has invested US$6 billion in the water sector across Africa.
Dear all, I am thrilled to officially launch the Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio Virtual Museum. Sylvanus Olympio was the first president of Togo and the first African president to be assassinated in a coup in 1963. Sadly, his killers and their successors continue to rule #Togo to this day, doing everything possible to erase his legacy from our national history. In school, we are only told that he was Togo’s first president. We are not taught about his vision, his work, or his struggle for our independence. Curating this digital museum has been an important and personal journey for me. It is a tribute to a man who embodied the struggle for freedom led by of thousands of Togolese people since the 19th century when colonization began. The virtual museum marks the beginning of a larger effort to document, preserve, and share the stories of all those who fought for Togo’s freedom from the colonial occupation to this day. Building it required reading hundreds of historical documents and making very intentional choices. For too long, the story of Olympio’s assassination has been controlled by his killers: the French government that sponsored the coup and its American ally that supported it. Officially, he was killed in front of the U.S. embassy, though his family who witnessed the coup maintains that the assassination took place inside of embassy. Thousands of people in Togo and beyond continue to push and sacrifice everything to end the military regime imposed by France after the coup that robbed us of our independence. We will not give up, because we are inspired by the legacy of Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio and all those who gave their lives for our country to be free. You can register on the site to join us for the official launch today at 6:30 PM GMT. In the meantime, I invite you all to visit the virtual museum and discover the work of this great man, who continues to inspire us. #FreeTogo #SylvanusOlympio #Olympio olympio-museum.com
