Introduction

Koutammakou is a vast mountainous region of about 271,826 hectares shared by Benin and Togo. This living cultural landscape is an authentic reflection of the way of life of the Batammariba people who live there, a people constantly seeking harmony between humankind and nature and for whom the Sikien,Footnote 1 remarkable earthen tower houses, still represent an exceptional symbol of identity.

In 2004, the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of Koutammakou was recognized by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session (Suzhou, China), but with the inscription of only the Togolese part of the site on the World Heritage List. This inscription was made under criterion (v), highlighting the site as an outstanding example of a traditional settlement structure that is still living and dynamic, subject to traditional and sustainable systems and practices, and reflecting the unique culture of the Batammariba; and criterion (vi) defining Koutammakou as an eloquent testimony to the strength of the spiritual association between peoples and landscape (Figure 1).

Figure 1.
figure 1

Geographical location of Koutammakou. © CRAterre/Arnaud Misse. (The names and boundaries shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations).

Full size image

Fifteen years later and thanks to the clear will of Benin and Togo, this ecosystem was inscribed on the Tentative List of Benin as a transboundary site in 2020. Thereafter, Benin firmly committed itself to the process of elaborating the site’s extension dossier in 2020, thanks to a combination of its own resources and UNESCO’s support through the China Fund for the Safeguarding of World Heritage in Africa and the World Heritage Fund. This initiative is part of the dynamics of a proven transnational cooperation between the Beninese and Togolese States aiming at restoring the territorial integrity of Koutammakou. Moreover, the extension constitutes a major challenge towards improved management of the site for the benefit of the resident communities who keep it alive.

Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba: A World Heritage site already inscribed in Togo

The Koutammakou is a vast transboundary cultural landscape that stretches from the north-east of Togo to the north-west of Benin. Covering an estimated total area of 271,826 ha (240,658 ha in Benin and 31,168 ha in Togo), this ecosystem is home to the Batammariba, or ‘those who shape the Earth’, a people whose settlement around the Atakora mountain range is believed to date back to the sixth century. Inspired as much by their environment as by the spirits and breaths that inhabit it, the Batammariba have developed a culture in which the technical, social and spiritual aspects are mutually complementary.

The Koutammakou is also a living, evolving landscape representing the features of an agricultural society working in harmony with the landscape and the environment, and in which nature is central to the beliefs, rituals and daily lives of its inhabitants. It is composed of material elements such as sacred rocks and groves, dwellings, fields, sources of building materials, wild and domesticated animals, as well as immaterial elements, including beliefs, craft skills, songs and dances.

A remarkable feature of the Otammari landscape, the Takienta is a family dwelling that perfectly reflects the culture and beliefs of the Batammariba, housing both the living beings and the ancestors. This earthen architecture complies with construction rules that combine the profane and the sacred, and respond to functions, signs and symbols. It bears witness to a know-how that has been perpetuated through time, constituting one of the foundations of Otammari culture. The total number of Sikien in the whole of Koutammakou is now estimated at 3,000, and an inventory is currently being carried out in each of the two countries to determine the exact number (Figure 2).

Figure 2.
figure 2

Example of the Takienta.© CRAterre/Sébastien Moriset.

Full size image

It was in the early 2000s that Togo initiated the process of inscribing Koutammakou on the World Heritage List. In 2001, Togo requested preparatory assistance for the preparation of the ‘Bètammaribè Vernacular Habitat’ nomination dossier for inscription on the World Heritage List. This was approved by UNESCO, and was implemented over the following three years in partnership with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the International Centre for Earthen Construction (CRAterre). At the same time, the site was selected as a ‘Projet Situé’Footnote 2 in the framework of the Africa 2009 programme. This initiative led by African cultural heritage organizations, the World Heritage Centre, ICCROM and CRAterre was implemented from 1998 to 2009 with the objective of strengthening the national capacities of sub-Saharan African States for the management and conservation of their immovable cultural heritage. The important work carried out in this framework led to the inscription on the World Heritage List of Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba in Togo, in 2004.

In parallel to these activities, from the end of 2000, the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Benin had requested support from the French Embassy to launch a first inventory of the Sikien. This work was carried out in 2002 with the technical assistance of CRAterre. In 2009, Benin in turn submitted to the World Heritage Centre a preparatory assistance request in view of implementing the ‘project for the elaboration of the extension dossier for the inscription of the “Bètammaribè vernacular habitat” site on the World Heritage List’, which was finally not realized. In 2020, the inscription of Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba on Benin’s Tentative List with the support of the Togolese government testifies to the strong will of the two countries to finalize the dossier for the extension of the site. The project, implemented by the Beninese authorities in partnership with UNESCO and CRAterre, led to the submission of the complete extension dossier by Benin to the World Heritage Centre in January 2021.

A modern management system at States level

The protection and management of the Koutammakou is governed by a fairly well-developed legal arsenal in both Togo and Benin.

In Togo, tangible cultural heritage, of which the Koutammakou is an integral part, is governed by the general law No. 90-24 of 23 November 1990 on the protection of Togo’s cultural heritage. The Koutammakou is also protected by a set of legal and administrative texts, such as the Cultural Policy of Togo approved by Decree 2011-046/PR of 30 March 2011; Decree No. 2010-173/PR of 15 December 2010 relating to the National Commission for Cultural Heritage; Decree No. 2009-175 of 12 August 2009 on the establishment of a general inventory of Togo’s cultural heritage and Decrees No. 010/MJS/CAB of 17 July 2003 and No. 012/MC/CAB of 28 October 2004 on the inclusion of sites and monuments on the National List of Cultural Properties. It also benefits from the provisions of Order No. /MAC/CAB/SG/13 on the organization of the Ministry of Arts and Culture which, in its article 28 paragraph 2, entrusts the Directorate of Cultural Heritage with a set of functions relating to the protection and conservation of the site.

In Benin, Koutammakou is a national cultural heritage under the terms of Article 3 of Inter-ministerial Order 2020 No. 271/MTCA/MCVDD/MEF/DC/SGM/CTJ/CTC/DPC/CCJ/SA058SGG20 of 11 December 2020, fixing its geographical limits and determining its components. It is governed by Law No. 91-006 of 25 February 1991 on the Cultural Charter in the Republic of Benin which, in Article 11, highlights cultural heritage as a national cultural identity to be safeguarded, protected and promoted. This legal framework is reinforced by Law No. 2007-20 of 23 August 2007 on the protection of cultural heritage and natural heritage of cultural nature, which sets out the needs and modalities of protection of heritage sites. Benin’s Koutammakou also benefits from Decree No. 2019-521 of 27 November 2019 on the attributions, organization and functioning of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts, specifying the responsibilities of the latter with regard to the protection of national cultural heritage. Furthermore, the interministerial order No. 2018–048/MTCS/DC/SGM/DPC/SA39SGG18 of 6 November 2018 on the attributions, organization and functioning of the Directorate of Cultural Heritage provides important details on the latter’s role in the protection of cultural heritage. Finally, Article 10 of Law No. 2007-20 provides for the establishment of the National Commission for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

In Togo, the management of Koutammakou has been entrusted since 2004 to the Service de conservation et de promotion du Koutammakou (SCPK) within the Directorate of Museums, Sites and Monuments set up within the framework of the Africa 2009 programme. This service, which is responsible for safeguarding the site, making an inventory of its tangible and intangible elements, collecting entrance fees and organizing cultural activities, is currently affected by the lack of means at its disposal. This is due in particular to the fact that the legal text that should give this service a legal existence has remained at the draft stage until now. In spite of this, the service is carrying out site management activities in liaison with the canton and village chiefs.

Since 2019, UNESCO has been supporting the Togolese government in strengthening the management of the site through the project ‘Improvement of the state of conservation of Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba (Togo)’ financed by the Government of Norway. The first phase of the project is planned until the end of 2021, and is implemented by the Ecole du patrimoine africain (EPA) and CRAterre through activities related to the inventory and mapping of the Sikien, capacity building of the management team and local communities of the site, updating and technical support of the validation process of the management plan and implementation of a methodology for the reconstruction of the Sikien. Discussions are underway with the partners involved to develop a second phase for this project.

The conservation of Koutammakou in Benin is currently carried out by the Committee of Volunteers for the Local Conservation of Koutammakou, an ad hoc institution created through collaboration between the Directorate of Cultural Heritage and the National Ditammari Language Commission. It brings together volunteers from the Koutammakou area who are knowledgeable and able to inform any visitor about the values and geography of the area and to defend its boundaries locally, and serves as a link between State bodies and the communities until a more structured management committee is defined. The 2021–2025 management plan for the site, which presents its challenges, dangers and weaknesses and recommends actions to address them, provides for the creation of a management and promotion service. This service, to be created in 2021, will be in charge of safeguarding the site, updating the inventory of tangible and intangible elements, warning of threats to the site and organizing promotional activities. A regional steering framework is also envisaged from 2021 to ensure the transnational management of the site.

A traditional management system ensured by local communities

The Otammari territory is a collective and community property whose spatial entity was, according to legend, originally circumscribed by Kuyé, the creator God, architect of the World, who built the first Takienta for humankind and the divinities and inspired the Batammariba to develop their environment. Land is an undivided asset belonging to all the members of the community and is allocated and managed according to clan norms that are deeply rooted in society.

Koutammakou, whether in Benin or Togo, is traditionally managed collectively, with each individual being aware from an early age of his or her role, duties and rights in the perpetuation of its conservation. This is based on a strong tradition founded on respect for the ancestors, the observance of prohibitions and taboos, the weight and audience of initiations, the codification of society and the perpetuation of the material and immaterial structure of the Takienta. Each Takienta is linked to the others by traditional mechanisms of co-management and peaceful cohabitation. The ternary cycle of construction-destruction-reconstruction of these dwellings is regularly renewed thanks to the mastery of knowledge and know-how that is passed on from father to son, mother to daughter, and generation to generation, but also to the notion of community that is still very much present. Labour-intensive activities, such as the construction of Sikien or agricultural activities, allow the Batammariba to exchange and maintain a good understanding and contribute to the conservation of the cultural landscape (Figure 3).

Figure 3.
figure 3

Difonni ceremony (initiation rite for boys) in front of the Takienta. © Evelyne Alitonou.

Full size image

In Benin, management is also complemented by a range of organizations working on the site. The Ditammari National Linguistic Commission enables the elders and resource persons grouped within it to meet periodically to discuss current events in the cultural landscape, thus contributing to its conservation. The establishment of a new Commission office in February 2020 reinforces this action. The non-governmental organization ECO-Benin, which works to promote ecotourism and local development projects throughout Benin, promotes the cultural values of Koutammakou and works to strengthen communication between traditional managers. In particular, the organization is behind the ‘Route des Tatas’ project, which supports communities in the conservation, enhancement and promotion of the Otammari culture, of which the TataFootnote 3 is the main material pillar.

Transnational cooperation for integral and sustainable conservation of Koutammakou

The overall Koutammakou landscape reflects every aspect of the Batammariba’s life as well as the social, economic and cultural system that is present on both sides of the Beninese-Togolese border. Although the Beninese side has the advantage of hosting the historical cradle of the Batammariba and major religious sites, of having the five major types of Takienta known to date, and of covering an area seven times larger than that of Togo, the two sides form a coherent and complementary continuum with the same cultural, anthropological and historical characteristics. With the proposed extension of the site to Benin on the World Heritage List, the governments of Benin and Togo intend to restore the overall integrity of this system in order to better preserve it: by joining the two parts, the integrity of the Koutammakou as recognized by the Batammariba will be delimited and protected.

In recent years and thanks to this process, collaboration between the Cultural Heritage Directorates of Benin and Togo has been strengthened, notably through works implemented by the Ecole du Patrimoine Africain for the conservation of heritage on both sides of the Koutammakou. In addition, a management plan setting out the guidelines for transnational management in the two countries is currently under consideration. This document, the result of effective transnational cooperation between Benin and Togo, is already a major asset that could contribute to strengthening the management and conservation of the site.

Finally, the organization of joint cultural activities allows the site to be celebrated in its entirety. For example, the biennial FACTAM (Festival des Arts et Cultures Tammari) – created in 2002 on the initiative of the National Ditammari Linguistic Commission of Benin – and FESTAMBER (Festival Tamberma) – created in 2011 on the initiative of the civil society of Nadoba, in Togo, are opportunities for the Beninese and Togolese Batammariba to meet. The two parties are considering a fusion that would favour the establishment of a single festival bringing together the Batammariba from both sides of the border.

These different initiatives demonstrate the strong will of Benin and Togo to carry out transnational cooperation for the effective conservation and management of Koutammakou.

Conclusion and recommendations

Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba, is certainly a unique example of an African transboundary site that bears witness to the cultural strength and richness, as well as the resilience of the local communities that have contributed to its preservation over the centuries.

It took more than 15 years of effort, a strong will of the Togolese and Beninese States associated with the support of multiple partners, for the inscription of the Togolese part of the site on the World Heritage List to be completed by a proposal for the extension of its Beninese part, thus making it possible to envisage a rediscovered integrity for this exemplary cultural landscape that is Koutammakou.

The transnational cooperation between Benin and Togo, initiated through the process of extension of the site, represents a major asset for an integral and sustainable management and conservation of the site, involving both States Parties and their partners and combining modern management with a functional traditional system. This cooperation needs to be continued and strengthened, and extended to scientific, technical and financial cooperation as well as integrated planning to ensure the sustainability of the site and the local communities who are its custodians. Both parties are only hoping for the validation of the extension of the Koutammakou inscription to start the cycle of meetings that will reinforce this active transnational cooperation.Footnote 4