27 Facts About Sylvanus Olympio

Sylvanus Olympio came from the important Olympio family, which included his uncle Octaviano Olympio, one of the richest people in Togo in the early 1900s.

Sylvanus Olympio's power was further cemented when Togo achieved independence and he won the 1961 election, making him the first president of Togo.

Sylvanus Olympio was assassinated during the 1963 Togolese coup d'etat.

Sylvanus Olympio was born on 6 September 1902 in Kpandu in the German protectorate of Togoland, present day Volta Region of Ghana.

Sylvanus Olympio was the grandson to the important Brazilian trader Francisco Olympio Sylvio and son to Ephiphanio Olympio, who ran the prominent trading house for the Miller Brothers from Liverpool in Agoue.

Sylvanus Olympio was born in Keta as a member of the Amegashie royal family.

Sylvanus Olympio was arrested in 1942 and held under constant surveillance in the remote city of Djougou in French Dahomey.

Sylvanus Olympio became active in the domestic and international struggle to gain independence for Togo following World War II.

Since Togo was not formally a French colony, but was a trustee under the rules of the League of Nations and then the United Nations, Sylvanus Olympio petitioned the United Nations Trusteeship Council for a host of issues pushing toward independence.

Sylvanus Olympio's party boycotted most of the elections during the 1950s within Togo because of the heavy French involvement in the elections.

In 1954, Sylvanus Olympio was arrested by the French authorities and his right to vote and run for office were suspended.

However, his petitions to the Trusteeship Council led to the 1958 elections where French control over the elections were limited, although involvement remained significant and Sylvanus Olympio's CUT party was able to win every elected position in the national council.

From 1958 until 1961, Sylvanus Olympio served as the prime minister of Togo and served as the minister of finance, minister of foreign affairs, and minister of justice for the colony.

Sylvanus Olympio connected with many of the other independence struggles throughout the continent; for example making Ahmed Sekou Toure, first president of Guinea, conseiller special to his government in 1960.

Sylvanus Olympio largely pursued a policy of connecting Togo with Britain, the United States and other Western Bloc countries.

One of the defining dynamics during Sylvanus Olympio's presidency was the tense relationship between Ghana and Togo.

Kwame Nkrumah and Sylvanus Olympio were initially allies working together to gain independence for their neighboring countries; however, the two leaders split when fighting over the western part of the German colony which had become part of the British Gold Coast and eventually part of Ghana.

Nkrumah proposed openly that Togo and Ghana dissolve the colonial borders and unite while Sylvanus Olympio sought to have the eastern part of the German colony returned to Togo.

The relationship became quite tense with Sylvanus Olympio referring to Nkrumah as a "black imperialist" and Nkrumah repeatedly threatening Sylvanus Olympio's government.

Exiles opposing Nkrumah organized in Togo and exiles opposing Sylvanus Olympio organized in Ghana creating a very tense atmosphere.

Sylvanus Olympio adopted a unique position for early independent African leaders of former French territories.

Sylvanus Olympio was not part of the alliances between France and their ex-colonies and fostered connections with former British colonies and the United States.

Sylvanus Olympio's austere spending was most significant in the realm of military policy.

On 24 September 1962, Sylvanus Olympio rejected the personal plea by Etienne Eyadema, a sergeant in the French military, to join the Togolese military.

On 7 January 1963, Dadjo again presented a request for enlisting ex-French troops and Sylvanus Olympio reportedly tore up the request.

The result was that Sylvanus Olympio maintained a significant amount of authority and his party dominated political life.

Sylvanus Olympio's family remained in exile for much of that period and only returned to the country with democratic openings at the end of Eyadema's rule.