Sylvanus Olympio , born with Kpando the September 6th 1902, was a politician Togo alluvium, he made his studies with the London School off Economics , spoke six languages and was assassinated the January 13rd 1963.
1927: Engaged at the end of its studies like employee by the Rising Brothers Company, Sylvanus Olympio starts a professional path in London there.
1928 -1930 : Return in Africa where Sylvanus Olympio is affected initially as assistant of the general agent of the Unilever company in Lagos (Nigeria) then is transferred as chief of the company to Ho (Ghana).
1930: He wife Dined Grunitzky, a mongrel young person Togolese girl of a German officer of Polish origin and of a mother anlon of Kéta (Ghana), born from the royal family of Amégashie. She is the sister of certain Nicolas Grunitzky who will make speak about him later with the assassination of his Sylvanus brother-in-law which he agreed to succeed the Togolese report heading after his assassination. They had 5 children including three boys and two girls: Kwassi Bonito Herbert (deceased on August 25th, 1994), Ablavi Rosita, Kwami Gilchrist Sylvanus, Ayaba Sylvana and Kodzo Elpidio Fernando.
1932: Until there assistant of the general agent of the Unilever Company for Togo, Sylvanus Olympio is transferred to Togo where it returns to be established to reach the station of general Agent of United Africa Company (UAC), subsidiary of the Unilever group in French zone. Exceptional promotion then for indigenous African, it was more in the sight of all the African elite of Lome and is seen indicating, so as President of the Chamber of commerce of Lome. The same year, it agreed to be the technical adviser of a grouping pre-policy: the Council of notable created by the French colonial capacity like an instrument intended to help it to manage Togo.
Political life
1934: Olympio takes part in the editorial board of the newspaper “the Guide of Togo” created by Jonathan Savi de Tové, like political tool for education.
1936: Olympio is indicated vice-president of the Circle of the French Friendships which played the same part as the Council of the notable ones.
March 13rd, 1941: Olympio took part in the creation of the “Committee of the Togolese Unit”, an association initiated at the beginning by the governor Lucien Montagné like friendly between autochtones and French colonists, with the image of the Council of notable prewar to counter the claims of the regrouping called Deutsche Togo Bund. Created on September 1st, 1924 and recorded in Accra (Ghana) in 1924, this last conducted campaign for the reconstitution of the Togolese territory as delimited under German colonization what would guarantee the reunification of the Ewe people artificially divided between two territories of Togo and Togo British (annexed later in Ghana) by the French and British colonists.
1942: Olympio is arrested and imprisoned during three weeks, with six of his/her colleagues, in Djougou, in the north of Dahomey of then, by the colonial governor who represented, in Togo, the mode of Vichy because, as tradesmen, they worked for British companies. One was indeed at the time into full IIe World war where a pact, concluded with Hilter by the Pétain Marshal who directed France then, shared the latter into two. The northern half of the country was left to the Nazis whereas a government of “collaborationists” of the Nazis directed by Pétain was set up in the thermal city of Vichy. In all France including in the colonies, hunting began then against those which, like Sylvanus Olympio, continued to maintain the relations - they were commercial - with representatives of England, country considered as “enemy” of Germany and Vichy in this war. With the advertisement of the unloading of the allied troops in North Africa, all French Western Africa adopted the French resistance directed from London by Charles de Gaulle. Olympio was then released but was seen intimating, by the administrator, the order to leave the prison immediately, in middle of the night, in the middle of the bush, without car, nor another means of displacement that to foot.
January 30th - February 8th, 1944: Before even the end of IIe World war, Charles de Gaulle, convened the Conference of Brazzaville to try to save the French colonial interests in Africa which threatened to be swept by the rising of the African people whose first sudden starts appeared already at this time even where France, exit completely bloodless of this war, could not resist it. Indeed particularly hard summer, for the Africans, pangs of all kinds which they had undergone with the title of the effort of war: overexploitation organized through the slave practice of the forced labor with its batch of brimades and exactions, sending of troops serving as “cannon fodder” in first line on the faces of this war, etc It was decided there a batch of reforms: suppression of the discriminatory mode of the “indigénat” as of the end of the war, abolition of the forced labor within five year, elected representation of African deputies to the French constituent Assembly which was going to set up itself. In the Togo where, under the direction of Sylvanus Olympio, the combat of the CUT for independence the reunification of the ewé people intensified, these decisions cause a sharp dispute as Claude Gerard (cf pioneers of independence) notes it thus: “In Togo, on the other hand, the future independence of this Trust Territory of the United Nations, managed by France since the First World War, is wished by all. Also the recommendations of the Conference of Brazzaville, excluding any even remote prospect “for self-governments in the colonies”, start in Lome of the hostile demonstrations”.
June 9th, 1946: On the initiative of Daniel Chapman, a professor of the college of Achimota in Gold Coast (Ghana of the time) was created “All Ewe Conference” which had been fixed for objective to fight for the reunification of the Ewe people. Sylvanus Olympio became about it a representative in Togo, country that the French and British colonists shared the end of the first world one by dividing it into two territories subjected to their respective domination and whose people were also divided by an artificial border.
April 27th, 1946: With the meeting of renewal of the Board of directors of the “Committee of the Togolese Unit”, Sylvanus Olympio proposed and made adopt that it changes nature to become a true nationalist party. It was in a context where, on April 9th, 1946, had been created, by Pedro Olympio (a cousin of Sylvanus) and Nicolas Grunitzky, the Togolese Party of progress (PTP). Members of this party, pledged with the French colonial administration - just like Union of the chiefs and the populations of north (UCPN) -, that the latter will create of all parts in 1951, illustrated themselves by their savage opposition to the combat of the Togolese nationalists who openly conducted campaign for the reunification of the Ewé people arbitrarily divided between two Togo by colonizations Frenchwoman and British.
November 10th, 1946: With the elections of the deputies to the Council of the French Union, the French Parliament of the time, total was the success of the CUT directed by Sylvanus Olympio which registered the unification and the independence of Togo to the program that he proposed to the citizens by introducing Martin AKU like candidate: with 4.270 votes, it obtained 73% of the votes cast against 1.460 votes is 25% of the votes cast for Nicolas Grunitzky, the candidate introduced by the Togolese Party of progress (PTP). Martin AKU thus went to sit at the French National Assembly.
December 8th, 1946: With the elections with the first Parliament representative of Togo, the CUT consolidated her positions by raflant all the seats almost. Olympio then had to chair this assembly for 5 years. It was then 44 years old.
October 8th, 1947: Delegated of “All Ewe Conference”, Olympio goes for the first time with UNO to plead the cause of the reunification of the Ewe people. The weather will be this voyage thereafter each year, and even twice a year sometimes.
1951: Transferred by the Unilever group in Paris in the services of the “Company of Niger”, its subsidiary company, following the skilful interventions of the French colonial capacity near its English owners to prevent it from continuing to direct the political combat of the CUT to Togo, Olympio was convened in London. There its owners summoned it to choose one of the two terms of this alternative: or to leave in cruising to the expenses the company, Greece or in order not to be elsewhere in Paris where was to be held a session of UNO in front of which Sylvanus was likely to intervene with the account of the Togolese nationalists or to resign! Spectacularly, Olympio chooses to resign not to betray the cause of the combat for the independence of Togo what conferred an enormous prestige to him.
1952: Re-elected with the Togolese territorial Parliament where the CUT however had just lost the majority of the seats thanks to the massive frauds organized by the French colonial capacity with the profit of their henchmen of the PTP, Olympio must leave with the latter the presidency of this assembly.
1954: Arbitrarily stopped for “traffic of currencies” between Togo and Ghana by the French colonial capacity, Olympio is seen proposing by this last to give up the political life so that this supposed “infringement” is not retained against him. Having refused with indignation this coarse negociation, he is condemned to a fine of 5 million F CFA and to the forfeiture of his civic rights, which prevented it from being candidate with the later elections under the French colonial mode.
April 27th, 1958: New legislative elections are organized in Togo for the designation of a new assembly, this time, under the supervision of a mission UNO (directed by the Haitian max Dorsinville) at the request of the nationalists. It was to avoid the massive frauds regularly planned up to that point by the French colonial capacity at the time them preceding elections fraudulently to impose the victory of its henchmen of the PTP and the UCPN. Deposed of its civic rights, Olympio could not be candidate there. Although the frauds of the colonial capacity nevertheless took place in particular on the level of the handling of the electoral rolls, their limitation made it possible the CUT to gain these elections. Opinion of all the observers, it was with total surprised that the victory of the partisans of immediate independence “Ablodé! ” gathered around the CUT imposed itself “with the width of a ground swell”. The nationalists had just gained a comfortable majority of 33 seats out of the 46 to provide for the new assembly in this April 27th, 1958.
May 16th, 1958: After having proclaimed as of her first meeting an amnesty which restored in Sylvanus Olympio its civic rights, the legislative Parliament invests it Prime Minister for the Republic of Togo.
Fall 1958: Appointed Prime Minister, Olympio goes to Paris to meet there the President of the Republic, Charles de Gaulle, in order to negotiate with him a political framework laying out that, although the Togoleses decided for immediate independence, on April 27th, 1958, it wished not to immediately translate this will in the facts and preferred to wait two more years, until April 1960, for the effective proclamation of the accession of Togo to international sovereignty.
November 15th, 1959: With the municipal elections the CUT again confirms its triumph by raflant 136 seats out of the 160 to provide. Sylvanus Olympio is elected mayor of Lome.
Independence of Togo
April 27th, 1960: At the time of imposing ceremonies organized in Lome in the presence of representatives of States and institutions come from the whole world, Sylvanus Olympio proclaims solemnly, at midnight the independence of Togo by this speech: ““Sentinel, which do you say night? The night is long but the day comes! ” Excellence, Ladies and gentlemen, The so much desired great day finally arrived. Our country, dear Togo who, since 1884, was successively German protectorate, Franco-British condominium, Trust Territory of France finds, in this day of April 27th, 1960, its freedom of antan. From this moment and forever freed from all subjections, all obstacles, Master of his destiny, Master of your destiny, dear Togo, my dear country, here you is free finally. In the name of the Togolese people, I proclaim the independence of Togo solemnly, our fatherland. ”
Presidency
April 9th, 1961: Sylvanus Olympio is elected President of the Togolese Republic at the end of the elections gained by the Party of the Togolese unit which rafla 560.938 votes out of the 564.617 voters and 627.688 registered voters is 89% of the voters and 97% of the votes cast (Juvento, the ally of before which was opposed then to the CUT, had not been able to be presented not having managed to deposit the guarantee fixed in the intended deadlines).
January 13rd, 1962: Dissolution of associations made up in Togo by the Olympio government. Their persons in charge are shown to have fomented a coup d'etat. Togo finds himself thus in situation of sole party in fact.
January 30th, 1962: A political serious attack bursts at the top of the State where the government of Sylvanus Olympio makes the decision to dissolve its ally of always, Juvento, after the advertisement of discovered of a plot making following the appearance of divergences of this party with the CUT which led at the beginning of its members of the government, whereas others are arrested and imprisoned in Mango.
March 22nd, 1962: Sylvanus Olympio goes to the United States to meet there the president John Kennedy.
January 12th, 1963: This day of the Saturday, January 12, 1963 had been marked by impalpable turbid. This day there, the president of the Republic, Sylvanus Olympio, was to proceed to the inauguration in large pump, the sides of the ambassador of France in Togo, of the French arts center. For one year, this inauguration had been delayed, for reasons that aucuns judged not very convincing. In fact, president Olympio took pretext of this business to mark his independence with respect to France, while not reaching all his requests, were protocolar. Such an amount of and so that Goethe Institut had been inaugurated before the French arts center, to the great displeasure of the ambassador Henri Mazoyer, had been accustomed in the old French colonies in Africa, with more attention.
Finally, after one year of excuses, the inauguration of this modest building on which company name had been hastily placarded (“French Arts center”) was planned for this Saturday, January 12, 1963, in the presence of the Head of the Togolese State. But at the last time, Sylvanus Olympio, prone to one does not know which presentiment, decided not to witness this so much awaited ceremony. He asked the general secretary of the government and Minister for Information Rodolphe Trénou, to replace it. It is true that circulated then, in certain political circles and diplomatic of Lome, of strange rumors: soldiers would be about to stop the Head of the State. In a recent past, Sylvanus Olympio had already been the subject of two attempted murders. Prudence thus was essential.
Of these soldiers who showed themselves then, at this beginning of year 1963, threatening for the president of the Republic, the history retained the names under not very flattering name “half-pays”. They were not the officers or warrant officers active the small Togolese, strong army of hardly a half-thousand of men gathered around a company of infantry, but of young Togoleses enlisted since 1953 in the French Army, with which they had made the campaigns of Indo-China or Algeria. At the time, the Togoleses whose country was under supervision of the United Nations were not compelled with the French military service. These volunteers had thus been recruited with in an individual capacity, from the Benign one (then Dahomey) and of Niger. But here that since the agreements of Evian signed on March 19th, 1962 and who had put an end to the war of Algeria, these “half-pays” had been demobilized. They were a few hundreds (between four hundreds and seven hundreds, according to the sources) to want to return to the country.
The soldiers of the other countries of French-speaking Africa, them so demobilized by the French Army, had been received on their premises without difficulty by their government. Only, Togo and Guinea had taken restrictive measures, even of refusal, vis-a-vis the possible return of these soldiers on their native ground: while the Guineans and the Togoleses fought to obtain their independence, the “half-pays”, them, fought with the colonial army, of the people which, like Vietnam or Algeria, also fought them to tear off their independence. It is what was reproached to them. President Sékou Touré took strict measures thus to prevent the return of these “lost” soldiers. The Guinean “demisoldes” were finally accommodated in Senegal.
In Togo, president Olympio had adopted a different strategy and had opened “negotiations” with his compatriots: the Togolese “half-pays”, of which a good number had nevertheless returned, required to be enlisted in the national army. Refusal of Sylvanus Olympio which did not see the interest for Togo to double manpower of its army and which wished on the contrary only these men, to which France had poured allowances, invests their savings in producing activities and thus takes part in the development of the country, independent since only on April 27th, 1960.
These “negotiations”, led to Lome via the ambassador of France, did not let hope for any possible compromise between the president and the soldiers. A few days before the inauguration of the French Arts center, the ambassador Henri Mazoyer would have informed the “half-pays”, on standby in Cotonou and Niamey for the majority of them, of the final refusal of Sylvanus Olyropio to reach their demand for allowing them to integrate the rows of the Togolese army. This message transmitted by the ambassador to exiled and the mediums of opposition to Cotonou and Niamey via a “half-pay” Emmanuel Bodjolle which, with the allowances paid by France had bought a taxi, with which it made the voyage and transport between Lome and Cotonou, distant of 150 kilometers, precipitated probably the events.
In Lome, in this month of January 1963, the climate was thus poisoned by this business. And the rumors which circulated, on Saturday, January 12, on a “blow” that the “half-pays would prepare” could not be taken with light but not more to cause any panics. President Olympio preferred by prudence to abstain from inaugurating the arts center, more especially as he suspected the ambassador of France of not being neither honest nor impartial in the conflict which opposed it to its compatriots having chosen, a few years before, enlisting in the French Army but he did not modify of anything his practices.
The assassination
January 13rd, 1963: On the teleprinters of the whole world fall this information: “Coup d'etat in Togo. The president of the Republic Sylvanus Olympio assassinated”. Etienne Gnassingbé Eyadema publicly asserted to have cut down it, with bearing end, by drawn balls in full chest and with the stomach before dividing to him, with the knife, the veins of the wrists. Then, with the bayonet of the weapon, it gashed the left thigh to him while explaining proudly to his comrades: “It is as that which I did in Algeria to ensure me that my victims had died well”. Olympio failed lengthily thus on the ground while being emptied of its blood, in atrocious sufferings. It was the first coup d'etat strapping of independent Africa, fomented by the networks of sadly celebrates Jacques Foccart, Minister French for the co-operation of the government directed by Charles de Gaulle. For this assassination whose organization was entrusted to the good care of the commander Maîtrier, this French officer who ordered the Togolese national police, one had resorts to the handling of half-pays demobilized of the French Army at the end of the war of Algeria. Completely astonishing thing which uncovers an organized plot of the more high summit of the French State: at 6 o'clock in the morning, this January 13rd, 1963, France Inter, the radio of the French State announced the news of the assassination of Olympio whereas it had not been even found by the commando sent to kill it. Having succeeded in escaping to him first once, it had taken refuge with the Embassy of the United States of America, seals that the Ambassador of the United States, Leon Poullada, revealed with the Ambassador of France, Louis Mazoyer, and from where the commando will leave it while climbing the enclosing wall, in obvious violation of the rule of extraterritoriality protecting all the Embassies. Recovered by the reverend father Jean Gbikpi, his body escaped disappearance thus as that of Patrice Lumumba of Congo (which one made dissolve in a vat of acid), was conveyed clandestinely by Christophe da Gloria with Benign where it was buried with the square of the Brazilian Negroes of the cemetery of Agoué. According to several versions, Sylvanus Olympio would have been assassinated because it would have wanted to build a national currency close to the German currency, the manufacture of this currency (ticket and coins) was to be to ensure by an English company.
The Assessment
President Olympio did not want these half-pays, this for two essential reasons. The first: of principle, it found them anti-freedom fighters. These soldiers fought without state of heart against the Algerian people fighting for his independence. The second reason is material: Olympio did not intend to create a greveuse army of budget. Which head of reasonable undertaking, is able to engage to give pleasure with some compatriots, who remainder, could find to occupy themselves in other fields? Thus its vision of the problem was summarized. For Olympio, the creation of an army, was the junior by its concern.
The Olympian policy, as well interior as international, was badly included/understood and badly accepted by CUT bases-even. The will of president Sylvanus to make CUT, a kind of sole party, displeased. The blocking of the wages to refund the debts contracted by the management of the French administration, exasperated the workers. Nevertheless, there was inside the country, some protest demonstrations. De Kpalimé, the bastion of the CUT, part of the population had started to go down on Lome to bar the road with the putschists. The leaders of this group of Kpalimé will be stopped.
Dated January 13rd in Togo
Dated January 13rd is considered with the Togo as a national festival by the mode RPT but which according to them refers to dated January 13rd, 1967, date on which Eyadema arrived at the capacity. To date the assassination of Sylvanus Olympio was the subject of no official investigation.
Militia of the CUT
The CUT had a militia has its pay but which did not commetait any exaction or serious violence (behaving rather like a police force of the streets).
Sources
August 1st
See too
- MOREL Jacques, '' Calendrier of the crimes of France Overseas '' - Spirit-rapper
- François-Xavier Verschave, Françafrique, the longest scandal of the Republic - Stock
- Paris-Match, n°720 of January 26th, 1963
- Foccart speaks , p.272, volume I
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