I recently got to realize my dream of being a game show host.
Actually, that has never really been my dream. I do, however, always enjoy an event that allows young people to travel outside of their hometowns and compete against each other in feats of trivia. This was certainly provided by annual Black History Knowledge Quiz tournament, sponsored by the Togo English Teachers Organization.
I’ve been helping with the preparations for the event for many months now, so it was exciting to have the day arrive. The board members of TETO and I had spent countless hours devising questions, revising questions, and working on the actual logistics for the local, regional, and national phases of the competition. This was the first year the event was offered to all schools in the country, so there was lots of work to do.
But this was all forgotten as the time drew near to begin. There were many preparations at the hotel where the competition was to be held, such as setting up decorations…
….gathering the prizes for the winning schools…
…hanging the TETO banner…
…and doing last minute checks of the quiz questions.
The students began to arrive, and waited expectantly. Several teams had travelled from as far away as Dapaong, a town in the northernmost area of Togo, or roughly eight hours away. It was the first time many of these students had travelled outside of their hometowns, and certainly their first trip to the capital.
Finally, it was time to begin. I served as a ‘Quiz Master’ as they call it—reading the questions to the competing teams. Other members of TETO then decided who had gotten the questions right.
The event was sponsored in part by the US Embassy
Just before the final round, several teams were eliminated. U.S. Ambassador to Togo Robert Whitehead then joined us to read some questions:
The team from Kara, in the north of Togo, prevailed…
… but the second place winners also got great prizes.
Aftermath relief!
Until next year…
CHLOE GOES 