Tado (formerly Ezame) is a historical village in southeast Togo, alongside the Mono River, near the border with Benin, in between Notsé in the center south of Togo and Abomey in Benin, two cities connected to its history. Tado is the former royal city of the Kingdom Of Tado, one of the oldest, longest-standing and most powerful kingdoms of south west Africa. Tado is the birthplace of many west African tribes, civilisations, cultures, kingdoms and bloodlines that have spread across Togo, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, through a kingdom that lasted over 900 years.
HISTORY
Ezame is recorded as the village that gave birth to the royal city of Tado and its many tribes, civilisations and cultures. Eza is the name of a local tree, and Ezame means "to be implanted inside the Eza trees". In the Kingdom of Tado ruled the "Anyigbãfio" which translates to the "Kings of the Earth" in Aja language.
The Aja are natives to south-eastern Togo and western Benin and one of Africa's oldest and royal communities. The Aja have been living in West Africa since neolithic times (10 000 BC to 2 000 BC), and remained unaffected by external influences from 3700 BC until the arrival of the Phoenicians and Pharaoh Necho in 600 BC.
Alongside the Aja were the Ewé, whom share both similar and Yorùbá ancestries. The Ewé are also one of Togo's most symbolic tribes, with thousands of years of history, rich in complexity, diversity, culture and influence across all African coastal countries through the many languages and dialects they created. Before 1000 AC, the Ewé moved from Ketou located in the Yorùbá country (South and east of Nigeria and east of Benin) to establish themselves in Ezame.
Around 1000 AC, the village of Ezame suffered from famine, sickness and drought until the arrival of Tobgui-anyi, the saviour who healed the village and its people. He was made King and renamed the village to the name of Tado, the royal city of the Kingdom, that gave birth to the princes of Dahomey, Notsé, Allada and Adjatché. It is the birthplace of Gangnihessou, the first king of Dahomey, in the 16th century.
The Awomefia stool of Anlo in Ghana is reputed to be the original royal stool of Tado that was taken away during a succession dispute.
From the 13th century, the Péda (also written Pedah/Xwla/Xweda/Pla), renown farmers, fishermen and salt merchants, descendants of the Aja, migrated from the Kingdom of Tado to establish themselves further down the coast around "Xwlavixo", first renamed "Little Popo" before adopting the name of "Aného".
During its golden age from the 15th to the 17th century, it covered a space from the Volta Region of Ghana, through Agbonou (Atakpamé) in central Togo and up north in Kambolé (Tchamba), into the Couffo region of Benin and all the way to Gbadagli (Badagry) which stands at the borders of Nigeria, and included many coastal cities such as Aného, Accra or Adjatché (now called Porto Novo, Benin's capital).