Nana Benz
Director Thomas Boltken
Countries Germany
Duration 87 min
Synopsis
NANA BENZ tells the story of the legendary Queens of the West - African fabric-trade, self-made women, coming out of nowhere, building empires. These women were heroes to the people and the first Mercedes drivers on the West African coast. They have marked the history of Togo from the battles for independence through the dictatorship to the globalization of today. To the population the Nana Benz have become mythical figures endued with supernatural powers, but mostly they were clever business women with connections to powerful men like the dictator Eyadema. The director Thomas Böltken manages to establish closure to the protagonists by letting their heirs – grandchildren, widows, lovers – speak.
NANA BENZ tells the story of the legendary Queens of the West - African fabric-trade, self-made women, coming out of nowhere, building empires. These women were heroes to the people and the first Mercedes drivers on the West African coast. They have marked the history of Togo from the battles for independence through the dictatorship to the globalization of today. To the population the Nana Benz have become mythical figures endued with supernatural powers, but mostly they were clever business women with connections to powerful men like the dictator Eyadema. The director Thomas Böltken manages to establish closure to the protagonists by letting their heirs – grandchildren, widows, lovers – speak.