Meredith Pike-Baky

Tales of Togo Meredith Pike-Baky

What happens when an idealistic young woman sets off in 1971 to live and work in a remote community in sub-Saharan Africa? Propelled by campaigns at home for peace, social justice and racial equality, she joins the Peace Corps and requests a position in the north of Togo, far from the capital city. Once in Africa, her revolutionary zeal is challenged by others who embrace America and its politics. She encounters unfamiliar authoritarianism in a school run by European nuns and reframes her opinion of men in uniform when she falls in love with a policeman. She works hard to fit in, hiring "boys" for help, traveling in mammy wagons, busses and trucks over murderously bumpy roads. She practices expressions in four languages to greet, bargain and teach. Her efforts introduce her to family roles and cultural practices that are shocking. She comes face-to-face with life-threatening illness. Her adventures reveal curiosity and creativity that keep her afloat and result in adaptation and appreciation. She is transformed in the process.