Togo: Towards the inscription of the Bassar Metallurgical Sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Togo is making progress in its ambition to have the metallurgical sites of Bassar inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Recently, a conservation and management plan for these sites was approved during a meeting in Bassar. This five-year plan, designed to be submitted to the World Heritage Center, incorporates analyses from numerous archaeological research projects conducted at the sites.
Seven sites have been selected for inclusion in the proposed UNESCO list: M’pampou 1, M’pampou 2, and Dikpassanware in the Bassar 1 municipality; Bitchabé and Tchogma in Bangeli (Bassar 2); as well as N’nababoun and Tatre-Apoutandior in Bassar 3. These sites reflect an ancient metallurgical heritage, with evidence of iron production dating back to 400 BC and extending into the 20th century. The remains include nearly 100 smelting furnaces, slag heaps reaching up to four meters high, iron crushing sites (likoumanjoole), and mining extraction areas.
According to the Ministry of Culture, these sites represent an exceptional heritage due to the local techniques of smelting, reduction, and forging of iron unique to the Bassar region. Ayikoué Adama, the director of cultural heritage, urged local communities, who are custodians of these sites, to engage in participatory management to ensure their preservation and support their candidacy for world heritage status.
This initiative is part of a broader strategy aimed at making culture and tourism key drivers of economic development for Togo. The country has established a national cultural development plan to enhance and modernize its cultural infrastructure. By preserving this ancestral heritage, Togo aims to promote its history, attract visitors, and increase economic benefits for local communities.
The inscription of these sites as World Heritage would provide international recognition of the unique metallurgical history of the Bassar people, while also helping to position Togo as a major cultural destination in West Africa.
