Ancient indigenous stock of the region mixed with more recent migrants of Gurma, from the eastern part of the Niger Bend, between Ouagadougou and Niamey, who brought the political system of chiefdoms with them.

[2] Added to this structure were Sudanese traders and craftsmen (the Mandinka, from historic Mali) and Hausa, a dynamic force since the 16th century.

By choosing, in late 1897, to establish an outpost at Sokodé, Germans entrenched the role of the now dominant Kotokoli chiefdoms.

The city developed in precolonial times as a commercial crossroads on the Kola nut route between Ghana and Benin.

The border between the Mono and the Volta River drainage basins is located a few kilometers north of the city.

The evaporation rate is high, estimated at 1,500 mm (59 in) / year, and is particularly marked in the harmattan period from November to January.

Meanwhile, nomadic Fulani frequently pass near Sokodé, with their herds of zebu en route between Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

Adossa, or the Festival of Knives, is an initiation rite originating with Semassi warriors who demonstrate their strength and courage by undergoing physical challenges.

In most festivals traditional dancers are invited from the region, as well as riders mimicking the Semassi warriors, spinning at full speed in the middle of the crowd.