Synopsis
The Ladies of the pagne fabric trade of Lomé called Nana Benz for their choice of cars have marked the history of Togo from the battles for independence through the general strikes to the globalisation of today. The pagnes-fabrics they trade with are not only beautiful. They accompany life from birth to death in West Africa. They are a means of communication in matters of love, rivalry and politics. What cannot be said with words will be expressed by the cloths one wears. To the population the Nanas Benz of the first generation have become mythical figures – endued with supernatural powers. Their daughters and granddaughters, a husband and a lover, the young in the streets and Papa Ahyi, the elder wise man of Togo, tell us the adventures of these battlesome women who built empires out of thin air.
