Internet in the Village

Since the 90s, there are been many changes to village life.

In the 90s, people got their water from the stream, mostly through the hard labor of young girls who carried all the water in buckets on their heads. As you can imagine, this process involved quite a bit of back and forth for all the water needs of a household, including cooking and taking showers. Add to this the fact that most people in the village like to take two showers a day (because of the heat and humidity), and there is quite a volume of water needed. Clothes washing was done in the same stream (also by young girls), a bit downstream.

But since then, the village has gotten running water. The government created a reservoir for a stream running down the hill in the back of the village, and that reservoir provides free water to the entire village. The only expense a homeowner needs to make is to pay for the pipes to bring the water in. Because of this, the stream is now only used for water when the reservoir has some kind of problem (which it occasionally does). 

Most people just have a pipe run into their courtyard, where they can turn on the water to fill a bucket. But some people have running water inside the house. For example, I have a shower inside my house. I think that indoor showers are still a bit of a luxury, but now in the realm of possibility.

Another big change: in the 90s, light after dark was accomplished by the use of kerosene lamps. Now, there is electricity, which you buy and use. Many people in the village have electricity in their homes, which they mainly use for lighting at night, and to charge their cell phones and radios. It is very rare to see a kerosene lamp nowadays, but I am told people still have them around.

Yet a third big change is the presence of the internet. In this blog post, I will outline the options for internet usage in the village, and why it is important to my work.

My main uses of the internet are: (a) Whatsapp to stay in contact with my family, (b) e-mail to stay in contact with my colleagues, and (c) Gemini as a tool in fieldwork. I also occasionally watch a Youtube video at night before I go to bed. The most surprising has been the use of Gemini as a tool in fieldwork. As I have sketched in other posts, I often use Gemini to help in translation from English to French, and French to English. Since I am creating a tri-lingual dictionary, this tool is really essential, and much better than a regular French-English dictionary. I have also used Gemini to identify the French and English words for certain objects that my consultants do not know the French and English words for. 

But how do I access the internet?

First, there is a local internet provider, named “A Cesar” (a local bar that I can see from my porch). This provider will sell me a ticket for 200CFA (less than half a dollar) for the day. On my MacBook, I find the provider on the list of Wifi providers, and then type in a code. On the positive side, it is cheap and local. If I have a problem, I can just go over to the provider’s house and talk to them about it. When working, the service is pretty good. On the negative side, the service is patchy and often does not work. So it is impossible to rely on it if I am doing fieldwork. But considered as a back-up, last-resort option, it is OK.

Second, I have an Android phone (purchased in Togo) and a local Togo sim card. I can buy an internet package, which I access through my phone. The package I have been getting is called NET5000 from YAS Togo (costing 5,000 CFA). It includes 6GB of data, and lasts for 30 days. There are other packages that are more expensive. Using this service, I can also make my phone a hotspot, and hook it up to my computer, so I can use the internet on my computer.

On the positive side, this service is always available. It is much more reliable than the local internet provider. On the negative side, you need to be very careful with data, since it is easy to burn through 6GB, especially if you watch a video. You need to turn on “low data mode” on your smart phone and on your computer. And if you watch Youtube, you need to select the lowest video quality. 

Third, I have an IPhone 16, with T-Mobile service in the US. I learned that for extra money (75 dollars a month), I can buy an “International Pass” from T-Mobile. This pass allows me to use my IPhone in Togo, as I would in the US. I can even call local Togolese numbers. Even though it expensive, it is a wonderful service (IMHO).

On the upside, it is reliably available, and pretty fast. When I use the internet for fieldwork, it is mostly using my IPhone and the International Pass.

On the downside, just like my NET5000 package, the data that they give you on the International Pass tends to burn out quickly, especially if you watch videos or use social media. So it is best to stick to calls, Whatsapp and Gemini. Another very negative feature is that as of now you can only get the International Pass for at most two months. After that, the package is not available. It is really meant for short-term tourists who want to use their smart phone while travelling. It is not meant for long term use. So that means that if I come to Togo and stay for a year, I can only use the Internal Pass for the first two months.

Lastly, I have found out I can get a 4G or 5G router (with its own sim card). Then I can purchase an internet package for the router at various costs levels (similar to the NET5000 package described above), and use it with my computer. I have not yet got a router, but ultimately, I think that is what I will do when I return to Togo for the year. This will give me an experience resembling my internet usage in the US. I prefer this last option over using my smartphone as a hotspot. Apparently, using your phone as a hotspot causes it to work hard, and get hot.  This way, I can separate the use of my computer and my phone.