Emblem of Togo

The National Emblem of Togo was adopted on 14 March 1962.

National Emblem of the Togolese Republic
ArmigerTogolese Republic
Adopted14 March 1962
CrestTwo standards with two National Flags (two on each side) and a ribbon argent with the National Motto.
BlazonA shield or with the letters RT (République Togolaise) sable.
SupportersTwo lions rampant gules each of them holding an arrow in dexter hand and a bow in sinister hand sable.
MottoTravail, Liberté, Patrie
"Work, Liberty, Fatherland"
Other elementsAn emblem is placed on an oblong argent bordure vert.

In the device, two standing red lions are to be seen, which symbolize the bravery of the people. Both lions are armed with bow and arrow, symbolizing a call for all citizens to be active in the defense of freedom of the country. Between the lions, a golden shield with the letters RT (République Togolaise) is displayed. Above it, the flag of Togo is displayed twice. On a ribbon stands Togo's motto: "Travail, Liberté, Patrie" (Work, Liberty, Homeland).[1][2]

After Togo's 1991 National Conference, multiple versions of this emblem proliferated, even within the Togolese government.[3] In June 2008, however, a Constitutional Court decision clarified which version was correct.[4]

Earlier coats of arms

Proposed arms 1914
Proposed German arms 1914

In 1914, the German government decided to assign coats of arms to its overseas colonies, including Togoland. Arms were designed, but World War I broke out before the project was finalised, and the arms were never actually taken into use. Giving the colonies their own insignia in time of war could let them have a symbol to rally around in case of rebellion. The arms proposed for the Protectorate of Togoland depicted a tree supported by two cobra snakes and the German imperial eagle on a chief. The eagle and the imperial crown on the shield was the same for all the proposed colonial arms.[5]

See also coats of arms of German colonies.

References
  1. Togolese constitution (1992) at UNHCR
  2. Togolese constitution (2002) at African Legislatures Project Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Armoiries: voici le bon modèle!". République Togolaise. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 12 Jan 2012.
  4. "A quelles armoiries se vouer?" (in French). République Togolaise. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 12 Jan 2012.
  5. Schurdel, H.D. . Battenberg (1995). Flaggen & Wappen Deutschland - Heraldik, Hymnen, BRD & DDR Flaggen und Wappen, Deutsche Ostgebiete, ehem. deutsche Kolonien u.v.m.


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