Under the name Nana-Benz (“The Mothers with the Benz”), a group of Togolese women became well known from the 1980s onward. As traders of printed textiles, they were so successful that they “turned their country into a hub of the textile trade in West Africa.”
They symbolized the economic, social, and political status they gained through this success by purchasing luxury vehicles, primarily of the Mercedes-Benz brand. They are regarded as the first female millionaires on the African continent. To this day, the vehicles are passed down from the mothers to their daughters.
The band plays Voodoo tradition meets soul—built for the dance floor. There are five of them—like the fingers of one hand. A hand ready to form a fist and strike with power, or gently caress the earth with groove and grace. Nana Benz du Togo channels an organic sound steeped in sub-bass and layered with complex polyrhythms, creating a hypnotic foundation for the voices of three electrifying electro-soul preachers. Armed with nothing more than their voices and a vintage Korg keyboard, this powerful ensemble crafts a sound that’s both raw and transcendent. Their live shows are nothing short of spiritual—a blend of ancestral energy and modern fire that has left thousands in a trance across European stages.
Nana Benz du Togo
