Watchi Harvest: Watchi People: Watchi Culture

After the initial welcome call of "woezon," the guests normally sit down before starting the greeting process.
The host offers one cup of water to be passed among the guests to refresh them from their journey.
After all are served, the guests ask permission to greet the host. The host will accept. The guest then give the initial greeting by asking "Are you doing well (literally-'Did you wake up well?')?"
The host normally then asks the questions to show honor to those who have come. There is usually a string of questions like:
- "How is the family?"
- "How are the people you saw on the road? How are your children?"
Finally he asks a question indicating the length of time since their last time together.
- For example, if they met the day before, he’ll ask, "How was the work of yesterday?"
If the host is older or in authority, the guests squat before him to show humility. When the oral greetings are completed, the guests shake hands with the host.
The host then wants to know the purpose of the visit and generally says something like "My place is peaceful." This causes the guests to say that they have also come in peace. The guests then proceeds to explain why they has come.
If the host is someone of authority, the peace statements and ensuing conversation are usually done through a mediator. He will either repeat the statements between the parties, or he will confirm that all statements are understood.

Family

If a family is unable to support their children, it’s not uncommon to find someone of greater means to keep a child (especially a girl) in exchange for her work around the house.
If the father dies, the oldest son becomes the head of the family.
Marriage in our area requires a dowry. This usually requires the groom to strike an agreement with the girl’s father to pay for her primarily with cloth and liquor.

Visitors

This society shows respect by paying visits. Therefore, a person considers it a privilege and a testimony of his power to be inundated by visitors. Western missionaries, used to privacy and the phone, are often overwhelmed by the “rewards” of their status.
When meeting at a person’s house, the guests are served water before formal greeting which proceed all discussions.

Food

Living in town sometimes seems like being at a baseball game. It’s not the sport, but the food hawkers. Just like you’ll hear “Red-hots. Get Your Red-hot Hotdogs.” at the game, this is what you can hear and buy along the road:

"Veyi Zozo. Dzo le Eme!" which means, "Hot Black-eyed peas with crunchies on top. It’s really hot!"
"Akasan ZoZo!" or "Zogbon Zozo!" This is much like calling out that your selling Cream of Wheat. Zogbon is a hot, smooth cereal made of rice or corn which is sold in the mornings.
"Bli Meme Zozo" This is only heard seasonally. When fresh corn comes in they roast it on the cob and sell it along the road.
"Akume Zozo" and "Abolo Zozo" indicates that a type of corn-mush is for sell—usually for lunch or dinner.
"Gawu Zozo" is heard from the donut seller. Only these donuts are made from beans!

Subsistence Farming

Most of the people of our area don’t have enough land to farm for large profits.
The high cost of mechanized farming confines the farmer to just enough land to cultivate with hand tools.
The crops are used by the family and any excess pays for necessities.
In new settlements, people are allowed to claim enough land to farm for their needs.
A major problem with land distribution has occurred with the high birth rate. Each generation the land is divided between the heirs. The decreased size of land allotments causes two major problems:
- First, a family with a small amount of land will farm the land every season and thus strip the land of essential nutrients and have reduced yield.
- Secondly, people are forced to leave their family lands because the low yields can’t provide for the family.

Health/Hygiene

Most in our area bathe at least twice a day. Once before bed, and again in the morning. The evening shower cleans the daily dirt and the morning shower cleans the sweat.
Traditional herbal medicines are used widely and are often more effective than what they call "white man’s medicine."
Although there are pharmacies which are regulated by the government, you can also buy many medicines from vendors in the market. The vendors often identify the drugs by the pictures pictures on the boxes. Many people buy their medicines by taking a sample tablet to the vendor and seeking out a pill which looks the same.

Activity Cycles

The Watchi are event-oriented and measure time not by hours or minutes but by the activity pursued, the position of the sun and they type of weather being experienced. The day is divided into six time periods: dawn, morning, midday, dusk, evening and midnight.
The typical workday begins just before dawn when the roosters begin to crow. People try to be in the fields as the sun comes up unless important visits are to be made at this time (dawn). Midday is the biggest meal of the day since no breakfast has been eaten. It is followed by sleep until four in the afternoon after the heat of the day has passed. Work continues until dusk when one returns home to wash, eat and visit. Sleep comes before nine in the evening and only those up to no good are out after midnight.
The annual cycle is divided into two growing seasons: from April to August and from August to November according to the early and late rains.
Longer periods of time are also measured by outstanding events. An old man cannot tell you either his age or when he was born but he might say, "I was in the first World War," or "I remember when so-and-so was king," to mark the era of his birth.

Group Orientation

The Watchi do not believe that it is good for an individual to stand out from the rest, either through breaking with traditional ways, getting new and educated ideas, or attaining too much wealth. One of the practical functions of the multiple funerals is to operate as a leveling process. If a person gets too rich, or before he does, he is expected to spend his money on funerals, thus redistributing his wealth and remaining near the general economic level of the community.
The Watchi are not above some forms of nepotism. Getting jobs through family connections is considered acceptable behavior and is expected. Successful living consists in close cooperation among all members of the clan, the living as well as the departed and the still-unborn.

Village Life

Some settlements in our area are actually smaller than what is considered a village. They usually consist of two or three extended families living in one central place without central chief. These “kopes” are usually led by the old men.

Economic Structure

The Watchi economy is geared around the agricultural cycle. From January to March there is very little activity other than clearing new land, burning off grass and weeds and making preparations for the coming planting season. March is very busy. The early rains come in late March or early April and a first crop is planted right after the first rain. Generally, fields are not cultivated in furrows since neither mechanized nor animal traction is commonly used. Corn, cotton or peas are interspersed among oil palms. The heavy rains come late May to early June tapering off to July when there is generally a two-week period of rest when the rains do not come and yet crops are not yet ready for harvesting.
The first harvest comes off in August and a second crop is prepared for planting. Sometimes cotton is preferred as the second crop. This follows a government-subsidized program where fertilizer and seed is provided. Rains begin again in September-October tapering off to December when all rains stop until the following March. For some, the most important time of the year financially is when the cotton crop is harvested in the late Fall. Many people make improvements on their house or buy new clothes during this time. Also many ceremonies and celebrations are held during this period of dryness, for very little field work is possible.
What follows is a list of food products grown naturally or produced: peanuts, cotton, two kinds of hot peppers, tomatoes, okra, onions, manioc, corn, yams, firewood, manioc leaves, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, papaya, pineapple, bananas, fish, crab, palm wine and palm oil.
The Watchi also raise many types of small animals such as: goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, agouti(a large rodent), guinea pigs, chickens, guinea fowl, ducks, pigeons, and honeybees. The tsetse fly is endemic to the area so larger animals such as cattle and horses are rarely seen.
They also make many products locally: brooms, baskets, hats and sleeping mats out of straw; big water jars and small jars out of clay; utensils, pots and bowls out of gourds; and benches, small tables, stools and cooking utensils out of wood.
Their professions include: tailor, seamstress, hair dresser, barber, mason, well digger, bicycle repairman, carpenter, ironsmith, merchant and farm laborer.
The traditional way of saving money is to buy land. Very few people use banks. Social security for an adult is his children.

City Life

There are no zoning laws in Togo. You may see restaurants, housing, stores, and the local dump all on the same street.
There is no mandatory garbage pickup in most of Togo. Garbage is usually collected into piles and burned or buried every so often.

Skilled Workers

Mass production has eclipsed many of the world’s craftsmen. However , in Togo, many jobs still are performed by skilled workers who learn through the age-old apprenticeships and family trades.
The blacksmith is still common in Togo. Pounding and shaping red-hot iron, these workers produce hinges, slide-bolts, and various metal items needed daily.
Weavers from Togo are known throughout the world for their Kente cloth and other loom-crafts.
Soap makers still make balls of soap from lard and lye.
Carpentry is done almost entirely by hand. After cutting down a tree, a carpenter cuts the trunk into planks and boards by hand. He then finishes his wares with chisels, saws, and hammers.
Shoemakers make and sell a wide variety of sandals made from leather and even old tires (good mileage!).
Tailors (most clothes are still handmade) don’t use patterns and usually rely on treadle (foot) machines.
Brooms and baskets are made from palm branches.
Rope is made by hand from tree bark.

Holidays

With the influence of Ghana’s English, it is very common to hear the people of our area say in broken English, "Merry Christmas."
Because the New Year is recognized by Christians and nonbelievers as well, it is even more common to hear “Happy New Year.” This English statement is then followed by blessings of health and long life spoken in the local language.
Just as in the States, most Togolese don’t recognize the Christ in Christmas.

Transportation

The public transportation system is composed of private taxi cars which are usually Toyotas that were well used in Europe before being shipped to Togo. Private taxi motorcycles are gaining popularity and often have the driver and two passengers on the seat.

Law Enforcement

The police of Togo are actually a branch of the military.
There are two types of police.
In bigger cities the local law enforcement officers are called police. They are part of the commissary.
The second type of police are called gendarme. From an American perspective, they seem to be a mix of the national guard and sheriffs department. They are responsible for regional law enforcement.
Law enforcement is paid on two levels.
Government money collected through taxes and international aid pays for the bulk of the operations.
The second way the operations are paid for is through legal fees. For example, if a person steals a motorcycle from someone, the victim makes a report.
Transportation costs incurred by the police trying to find the thief can be charged to the victim.
If the motorcycle is recovered, a recovery fee must be paid before the victim receives the motorcycle.
The chief of police and the chief of gendarme serve a dual function of law enforcement and judge. They have the power to issue subpoenas and warrants for arrests, make seizures of property and to even declare, to some extent, police control of businesses and private property if a crime has been committed.

Harmony Must be Maintained in Society

Among the Watchi, relationships are very important both with the living and the dead. Saving face is an important value, thus lying is permissible if the person to whom one is speaking is not hurt by it. They may rationalize the lie by saying that their intention was to do the action. A common example would be to try to bargain with the ancestors by promising to celebrate the anniversary of their death at some future date.
Hierarchy in society must be respected with the elders holding the favored position. Men are deferred to more than women. A sign of respect is looking down and not making eye-to-eye contact with an elder or highly respected person when talking with them.

A Typical Day

Fathers are often farmers working an inherited plot of ground with the help of their wives and children. A typical day would begin for the man about five in the morning when he would get up, dress, check on the health of his family and then leave for the fields.
He begins work there before sunrise and works steadily until noon when he takes a break, eats a simple meal that he brought with him and lies down to sleep in the shade. Around four in the afternoon he wakes up and surveys his other fields in anticipation of future work needed. He then proceeds to return home, arriving well after the sun sets.
He bathes and retires awaiting his evening meal which is the largest of the day. This meal usually is served around nine in the evening due to the fact that other members of the family have been working as well and have just returned to the home.

Family Economics

Families are maintained by agriculture. Everyone works at least some in the fields. They grow: cotton, corn, black-eyed peas, peanuts, igname, cassava, sweet potatoes, mango, chick peas, wild apples, okra, tomatoes, oranges, bananas, papaya, hot peppers, lemons, grapefruit, pineapple and tobacco. In modern times the most important crop economically has been cotton, which is the main cash crop for the region. The GNP per capita in the country of Benin is only $380 US (1989).
Men are responsible for beating the peas to get them out of the dried husks, clearing new ground, making and mending fences, raising livestock and making sodabi or African palm wine. This palm wine has been traditionally the most important income generator in the family and it is only the men that can produce it. (An interesting note, however is that ownership of the palm trees in question often falls to the women of the family! Thus ensuring continued cooperation between men and women in society.)
Women are responsible for separating the chaff from the grains and searching for fire wook, along with bringing water from the well or stream. All women are expected to keep house, have babies and cook the food. Some however may also have a stall in the market for selling fresh produce from the fields, or for re-selling imported products such as salt, rice, bread kerosene or cloth, or objects that they have made such as objects made of straw: brooms, hats, sleeping mats, drying containers, sifters; objects made of clay: small and large pots and cooking stoves; or locally prepared foods: cookies, doughnuts, cornbread; and soap.
Children are often in school, yet they are also expected to haul water, search for firewood, cut wood, feed the animals, wash clothes, prepare meals and care for younger siblings. In their limited free time boys may be seen hunting birds with slingshots or playing soccer and girls have many games that they play such as tag, follow the learder and a type of jumping game.
In a larger village however, one might also find a dental assistant, a nurse's aide, a blacksmith, a bicycle mechanic, a carpenter, a mason and a general mechanic. Plumbers and electricians are only found in big cities.

Family Level Problem Solving

After dinner everyone gathers around the fire for discussion of the day's events. It is here that problems are discussed and difficulties are ironed out. Generally speaking, respect is shown from younger to older, and female to male. It is the oldest men of the extended family that make the ultimate decisions. If there is a conflict, the oldest male decides the outcome and levies the fine on the guilty party. They in turn ask forgiveness and proceed to make restitution whereupon pardon is received, but only after having repaid their debt. (An example would be to give someone a bottle of beer or palm wine, some chickens or even money in an effort to appease an offended party.)

Education and Apprenticeships

Almost one half of all children are sent to school until the 6th grade when school fees begin to be charged. They begin between the ages of 6 to 8 years old. There they learn the rudiments of the French language and begin the process of reading and writing. The beginning years are taught mostly in the vernacular. All students wear khaki uniforms throughout their school career. In most cases, boys rather than girls are more likely to be sent to school and continue past the elementary grades.
In any event, when school is no longer an option (due to poor grades or lack of funds) the child may be sent off to learn a trade from an individual if the parents have any funds available. The program is widely used and is similar to being an indentured slave for several years. The parents pay a fee for his position and continue to support the child while they are in the job. Once the trade is adequately mastered, then the youth seeks his "liberation" and begins his own small shop. This process may take from three to five or seven years. Typical apprenticeship programs for boys include: carpentry, tire repair, bicycle repair, small engine repair, plumber, electrician, welder, tailor and embroider. For girls there is: nurses aide, sewing, embroider and hair dresser.

Communication Lines Within the Family

Authentic news is passed among families by way of the eldest men present. Rumors may fly among the extended family but nothing is official until the grandfather says it. This is often done around the campfire at night. However, if there is a serious problem, it is seen as best to contact the other party the first thing in the morning, just as the sun is coming up in order to catch everyone at home before leaving for their day's activities. (A sign of the importance of a matter to someone is how early they approach you in the morning.)