Nana Benz was one of the twenty or so genuine businesswomen who controlled much of the loincloth trade in the Lomé market and the sub-region. Dédé Rose Gameli Creppy died on Monday, June 5th at dawn, at the age of 88. She is the last of a generation of fighters, who participated in the emancipation of Togolese women.
It was at the Atakpamé Higher Normal School that she learned that she was pregnant. Dédé Rose Gameli Creppy does not finish training. She returned to help her aunt trade in pearls that they were going to buy in Ghana to resell in Togo.
The business flourished when her mother-in-law suggested that she takes some Dutch loincloths from time to time, made in the Netherlands, resistant, very colorful, and at good prices at the time.
They drive in Mercedes Benz
They are about twenty women got into this business when Vlisco African Company settles in Lomé in 1956. They sign an agreement with the company, buy in bulk, and distribute in the sub-region. They are powerful and respected, driving Mercedes Benz, hence their nickname “Nana Benz”.
Dédé Rose Gameli Creppy is “Maman Creppy”, dean and president of the Association of women wax dealers. Together, they resisted the political crisis of 1990, but the devaluation of 1994 weakened them and the fires of the Kara and Lomé markets in 2013 delivered the final blow.
“Maman Creppy” embodies a generation of courageous, hardworking, and respected women. It is part of the history of Togo and its pride.