When three friends set out on a journey through West Africa, they knew an unpredictable but potentially wonderful adventure awaited them. And sure enough from Senegal through Mali, BurkinaFaso to Ghana and finally to Togo, they experienced the joy and witnessed the struggles of everyday life there. As radio journalists and documentary film makers, they observed and reported, but some things even an interview can’t capture properly.
The following conversation was recorded in Berlin just a few days into the New Year. It features Steffi and Phillip, both independent media producers who just returned from Togo. I asked them about their journey, including the stops en route to Togo, comparisons between countries, and how the experience matched or did not match their expectations and hopes for the journey. We also talk about a documentary about Togolese culture which they are also working on.