The Nana Benz were a group of women who turned Lomé’s fabric market into one of West Africa’s commercial centres. From the 1960s onward, they controlled the distribution of sought-after Dutch wax prints, travelled to Europe to advise manufacturers and gave anonymous factory designs names such as “My Rival’s Eye” and “If You Go Out, I Go Out.” The names turned clothing into public messages—and stock numbers into stories people remembered. Their fortunes bought property, paid for education and brought political influence. They became known as the Nana Benz because many drove Mercedes-Benz cars through Lomé.
Nana Benz
