The leaning wings
Pierced like windows.
Bamouzou — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bamouzou — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bamouzou — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Akouete — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Independence Monument stands in central Lomé, the capital of Togo, built to mark the country's independence from France on 27 April 1960. It is one of the city's best-known symbols, set in a broad square ringed by official buildings and hotels. Most visitors pass it on their first tour of the capital, as it lies close to the main streets. The French sculptor Georges Coustère and the Togolese artist Paul Ahyi designed it. It is a tall sand-coloured block of stone with a human figure carved hollow into its centre, like a shadow cut into the rock. It is on Togo's national inventory of cultural property. You see a high stone wall with two wings leaning outwards, pierced by rows of small openings like windows, and the carved figure in the middle. At its base are small statues, a fountain and a blue pool. Lawns, palm trees and a black iron fence with gold tips surround the square, with a modern glass tower behind. The Seafront Beach is about 2.4 km away in a straight line. The square is fenced, so you usually view the monument from outside the railings. Avoid photographing the nearby official buildings, and follow the guards' instructions.
Pierced like windows.
In the heart of the stone.
A blue pool.
Place de l'Indépendance, central Lomé, Togo
Georges Coustère and Paul Ahyi.
The square is fenced, so it is usually seen from outside.