Childhood Unplugged

"It is a happy talent to know how to play."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Growing up in Togo, or really most countries in Africa probably, is completely different from growing up in the U.S. Kids in America don’t work nearly as hard as kids over here, and they also have many, many, many more mediums of entertainment than the Togolese. I remember my surprise the first time I  saw my little host sister, only about eight years old, cutting up some food with a nice, big machete. I just thought “Well, that’s not something you see every day."

Since my arrival, I have been shocked by how much housework kids do. If you plucked any six-year-old out of America and asked them to do the things a kid here does, they would probably have a mental breakdown. On a typical day these children get up at 5 am, sweep the yard, cook meals, and take care of younger siblings, among other tasks. There are no school buses in Togo. Everyone walks to school, sometimes more than a 30-minute walk. Making this round trip to school twice a day, because of the midday lunch break, can mean two hours of walking to and from school each day. Childhood obesity is not a big problem here! Not every child goes to school. Some families can’t afford to send their kids to school, or only can afford it for a couple of kids, so they send the boys and the girls stay at home to do housework. Even those who go to school often have a job on the weekends, perhaps working on the farm or walking around the market selling something from a container balanced on top of their head, like water or juice sachets, bananas, tomatoes, etc. for hours and hours.

When children come home they don’t have TV to watch, or computers and video games to play with. Most babies and toddlers don’t have cute stuffed animals and rattles. There are no parks with Big Toys or pools for playtime; most people here don’t even know how to swim. No iPods, iPhones, iPads. Children make do with whatever they have and then turn that into a toy. Once I saw a toddler who had taken an old, rusty sardine can and tied a string to it. He was dragging it around on the ground like it was a dog on a leash. Children play with spare tires by rolling them up and down the street over and over and over again. Yesterday I saw a toddler repeatedly kicking a plastic bag up in the air for fun. Kids look through the trash on the side of the road for anything that can be turned into some kind of toy. They play soccer with balls that are losing air. They make up games and spend a lot of time running around outside. 

I am amazed by the resilience and creativity of these kids, and they are SO happy. You've never seen such smiles! By comparison, I feel embarrassed when I think about how spoiled/lazy many children are in America. Kids here have more work, but also quality playtime. Fresh air, sunshine, imagination. Togolese children have shown me that money and material things are not necessary ingredients for a happy childhood. In fact, they seem to be very happy without them.