Stage 2: Research into existing data or information on the photo on the website and possibly through other sources

Step 3: Full description of the photo

1. Period
1.1. 1849-1883 Pre-colonial
1.2. 1884-1899 German colonialism
1.3. 1900-1914/18 Institution of power/colonial rule: probably in this period
1.4. 1919-1936 German colonial revisionism
2. Geography/Map/Regions of Togo
2.1. General
2.2. Togo German, British: Togo-German
2.3. Regional borders
2.4. Village
2.5. City
3. Personalia and biography
3.1. Merchant/ Grocer
3.2. Priest/ Missionary
3.3. Colonial collaborator/ official
3.4. Colon
3.5. Holder of traditional power
4. Ethnicity, identity, lifestyle
4.1. General: daily life of young African soldiers, mainly from the Haussa ethnic minority, who form the police troop guarding their post.
4.2. Stereotypes/ Clichés: young Africans from the police troop formed and placed under the orders of the German colonial administration.
4.3. Ethnic groups: mainly Haussa from Nigeria
4.4. Minorities: nomadic ethnic minority scattered across the regions of Togo
4.5. European
5. Age,Sex,Groups
5.1. Women
5.2. Men: soldiers and civilians in background
5.3. Home, Family
5.4. Children, young people: a young civilian man sitting in front of the guard post.
5.5. Older people
5.6. Elite social stratum
5.7. Kinship, Adoption
5.8. Neighbourhood
5.9. Other Groups: minority ethnic group in Togo
6. Body (physical features)
6.1. Height, Appearance/physical appearance, Conditions : Well-built young men, armed, on guard outside a police station
6.2. Hygiene : dressed in uniform, barefoot
6.3. Sexuality: young men
6.4. State of health
6.5. Illness/ Medication
6.6. Treatment/ Cure
6.7. Health centre/ Healing/ Hospital
6.8. Death/ Burial
7. Clothing
7.1. Traditional clothing: loincloth around the hip
7.2. European clothing: lattice uniform or soldier's uniform
7.3. Other modes of dress :
- Three young barefoot soldiers in the foreground are wearing police uniforms: khaki with long sleeves and trousers with bottoms close to the calf. Two ammunition boxes are hanging from the belt attached at navel level to the khaki shirt. They wear a beret with a sign on the forehead.
- A young barefoot soldier in the background is wearing a police uniform: long-sleeved khaki shirt and trousers with a calf-length hem. A wide belt is attached to the shirt at navel level. Wearing a beret with a sign on the forehead.
- Two other barefoot soldiers in the background standing in front of the entrance are wearing trellis trousers with white knitwear over them. Wide belt on the trousers up to the navel. They are wearing berets.
- A barefoot young man sitting under the guardhouse hangar ties a loincloth at the hip, bare-chested.
- A barefoot man standing in the background under the hangar, wearing civilian trousers, bare chest.
- A man in the background sitting under the hangar ties a loincloth around his hip, bare chest.
8. Education and training
8.1. School: these young soldiers did not necessarily have a school education.
8.2. Training/education: they received military training based on order, discipline, weapons handling, submission to colonial authority, etc.
8.3. Young girl's education
8.4. Teacher/School authority
9. Forms of communication
9.1. Non-verbal (body language: gestures/mimicry): Soldiers in the foreground relaxed, weapons at rest in their hands. Soldiers in background stand at attention unarmed; other civilians stare at the camera.
9.2. Emotion (pain/ anger/ tears/ laughter): serious, relaxed air
9.3. Curiosity: participate to a greater or lesser extent in the staging of the shot.
9.4. Dialogue/ Group conversation (Palaver, official meeting: public and secret)
9.5. Contacts/ Correspondence
9.6. Contract
9.7. Complaints, denunciation - demands - requests (wishes)
9.8. Violence - Injustice etc.
9.9. Prayer (communication with God)
10. Economy/ World of work
10.1. General: soldiers in the service of the German colonial administration
10.2. Slavery
10.3. Gathering, hunting, fishing
10.4. Agriculture
10.5. Animal husbandry
10.6. Mining, iron work, road building
10.7. Bridge building
10.8. Worker/collaborator: collaborators close to the German colonial administration, responsible for protecting the German colonist and the colonial system, and for repressing rebels or those who disobeyed the colonial order.
10.9. Crafts
10.10. Trade/ Factory/ market
10.11. Industry
10.12. Statistics
11. Law
11.1. African law
11.2. European law: Soldiers must submit to their superior officer (German officer)
11.3. Other laws
12. Travel
12.1. Expeditions/ study tours: soldiers of the police troop accompany German colonial officials on scientific or punitive expeditions
12.2. Migration
12.3. Traffic and Transport/ Means of travel
12.4. Gare/ lignes routières
12.5. Port
13. Technique et savoir pratique
13.1. Tissage
13.2. Ménage/ Travail domestique
13.3. Practical knowledge: handling weapons; discipline and order.
13.4. Building work
14. Nature and representations of nature
14.1. Landscape/ Vegetation: savannah
14.2. Landscape/ Zoology
14.3. Landscape/ Lake, sea, etc.
14.4. Climat/ Temps : tropical, chaud et humide
15. Religion
15.1. African religions: soldiers generally follow local religious beliefs
15.2. Christian religions
15.3. Islam
15.4. Other religions
16. Art/ Popular aesthetics
16.1. General
16.2. European art
16.3. African art
16.4. With materials (image, textile, wood, ceramic, stone, metal, glass)
17. Sign, Symbol, Gesture
- Uniform: symbol of belonging to a socio-professional group, to a new social class parallel to the traditional social structure;
- The rifle: symbol of power and authority in relation to civilians in local society.
18. Food
18.1. (Economically) useful plant
18.2. Food product, Foodstuff
18.3. Fruit
18.4. Food
19. Song, Music, Dance
19.1. African domain
19.2. European: these soldiers probably learnt military songs in German
19.3. Musical instrument
20. Language and poetry
20.1. Ewe: probable language of communication between soldiers
20.2. German: language of communication with the colonial authorities
20.3. English : probable language of communication with the colonial authorities.
20.4. French
20.5. Other mother tongues: Haussa language of communication between several soldiers
21. Politics and media
21.1. Colonial administration: soldiers under the authority of the colonial administration
21.2. Colonial characteristic: the colonial police uniform.
21.3. Traditional administration
21.4. Security / Police troop: responsible for the security of colonial officials and for carrying out their orders.
21.5. Togo-German colonial heritage: the state of mind of Togo's law enforcement agencies
21.6. Radio / Press
22. Architecture
22.1. Housing
22.2. Cultural landscape
22.3. Construction
22.4. Dwelling / House
22.5. Government and administrative building: guard in front of an administrative building of the German colonial government (on the left of the photo)
22.6. Communication route / Road
22.7. Church / Chapel / Mosque
22.8. Monument
22.9. Hospital
22.10. Shopping centre
22.11. Fortress
23. Objects and tools (utensils etc.)
- Rifle; ammunition box; iron bar on the ground used to hold weapons upright
24. Festivity, Game, Leisure

Step 4: Commentary

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