A central figure in Togolese political life who led the country towards independence, Sylvanus Olympio was, in many respects, a major player in the African independence. The first President of independent Togo, he was a a seasoned activist for African emancipation. Sylvanus Olimpio was assassinated in the first coup d’état in sub-Saharan Africa in 1963 by Gnassingbé Eyadema.