The Kotokoli live in the West African countries of Togo, Ghana and Benin. Their homeland is called Kua or Koue. The Kotokoli emigrated from what is now Burkina Faso into the Sokode region during the 1600s and 1700s. They arrived as a confederation of Gurma chiefdoms. Even today, the Kotokoli chief, or Uro, still resides in Sokode.
In time, the Kotokoli developed a reputation for sharp and perhaps underhanded dealings in trade. The local merchants became annoyed and began calling them koto kolim, which means "they give and take back again." Eventually, the group became known as the Kotokoli. They are more properly known, however, as the Tem or Temba, because they speak Tem, a Niger-Congo language.
Kotokolis are growing in numbers and in their social, economic and political impact. There is a Kotokoli Paramountcy (the seat of the high chief) in Ghana. Recently, the paramount chief appointed his national chief, Alhaji Salifu Haruna, with the high title of Wuro-Iso, whose court sits in Madina, Accra.
The Kotokoli artisans are excellent woodcarvers, potters and blacksmiths. They produce needed goods for themselves and some to trade with others. The highly developed art of trading is another important activity. Kotokoli merchants regularly attend the local markets to trade their goods.
Though trade is an important part of their economy, agriculture is primary. The Kotokoli grow sorghum and yams as their staple crops. They also grow millet, maize, beans, okra, groundnuts and pumpkins are also raised. They keep livestock including cattle, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. The cattle are used for religious sacrifices, marriage payments, and hides; their manure is also used for fertilizer. Although the Kotokoli drink milk, they do not milk their animals. Rather, the milking is performed by the neighboring Fulani herdsmen, who are hired to help tend to the herds.
The Kotokoli men's responsibilities involve tending to the livestock, clearing the land and performing most of the agricultural labor. The women's responsibilities include gathering nuts, berries, wild grasses, and building materials from the forests, helping their husbands with the harvest, and performing all of the household chores.
Most of the Kotokoli live in houses that have round mud walls with dirt floors, and cone-shaped, thatched straw roofs. The homes are clustered together in family compounds around a central courtyard. Surrounding most clusters is an enclosure, usually a high mud wall, so that outsiders cannot see inside the compound. Each local community has a ritual headman (usually the oldest in the lineage), who has the responsibility of maintaining good relations and social order among his people. The headman answers to the district chief, who answers to the Uro (supreme chief).
Kotokoli marriages are usually arranged by the parents while the boy and girl are still infants. Before a marriage is complete, a bride service must be performed by the prospective groom. This means that the young man must work on the farm of the girl's parents for a certain time. The family of the bride receives a substantial bride price in livestock. Acceptance of these and other gifts donated by the groom makes the couple's union legitimate.
Polygyny (having multiple wives) is permitted among the Kotokoli. However, according to Muslim law, a man must not have more than four wives. The first wife enjoys a superior status over the other wives. Each wife lives in a separate hut.
They love music and dance; it is a central part of their culture. The djembe and kora being among their favorite instruments.
The Kotokoli people's true spiritual landscape is characterized by a blend of traditional African religions, Islam and Christianity.
The Kotokoli were first exposed to the Islamic religion through contacts with the Hausa and Fulani herdsmen in the 1700s. By the mid-1800s, Kotokoli territory had been swept by Muslim influence, causing religious wars in the area. Although the Uro (chief) tried to rid his country of the Muslim mercenaries, he was unsuccessful. The Kotokoli eventually converted to Islam in the 1800s after the Chokossi people further spread their Muslim beliefs throughout Kotokoli territory.
Kotokoli Muslims follow the practices of Islam. These include affirming that Allah is the only god and Mohammed is his prophet, praying five times a day, giving alms generously, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making at least one pilgrimage to Mecca if possible.
However, there are two important factors. One is that Christianity is making inroads into Kotokoli society. A 2020 study by Ghana Statistical Service indicates they might be as much as 25 percent Christian. There is a higher percentage of Christians among the Kotokoli people in Benin than in either of the other West African countries where they reside.
The other factor is the lingering influence of animism.
At the heart of their spiritual practices lies a profound reverence for ancestral worship and communal rituals, which play a vital role in their cultural identity. They are expected to be able to recite the names of their ancestors. Since they are patrilineal, this would be the male family line.
The Kotokoli have many physical and educational needs. They need more medical facilities and schools. Quality education is lacking. Christian missionaries could fill this void.
Ask God to send Christian medical teams to minister to the physical needs of the Kotokoli.
Ask God to thrust out long-term missionaries into West Africa to work among the Kotokoli.
Pray for economic empowerment and self-sufficiency.
Pray that God would strengthen Kotokoli Christians in their faith in Benin and proclaim salvation to unbelievers among them.
Pray for Kotokoli disciples to plant one church after another that will plant even more churches where people are discipled.
Scripture Prayers for the Kotokoli in Benin.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2020). 2020 Population and Housing Census.
Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques et Démographiques. (2020). Recensement Général de la Population et de l'Habitat.
Goody, J. (1967). The Social Organisation of the LoWiili. Cambridge University Press.
Owusu-Ansah, F. (2020). Religious Beliefs and Practices among the Kotokoli of Ghana. Journal of Religion and Human Relations, 12(1), 1-15.
GhanaWeb. (2022). Ghana-Togo Kotokoli Development Association launched.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
