Des Nana Benz aux cheffes d’entreprise contemporaines à Lomé, au Togo

Abstract

This article deals with Lome business women’s vision of “modern entrepreneurship.” Influenced by the spread of a performance and efficiency ethos, which is dominant in neoliberal development ideology, they try to differentiate themselves from the “Benz Nana,” the mythological entrepreneurial figure in Togo, to emphasize their “modernity.” The article is based on an ethnological study on 35 women entrepreneurs. It is composed of interviews, informal conversations, and participative observations. The article analyzes the local appropriation of the “business woman” model, which is popular in development circles, and qualifies the idea that there have been radical changes in the practices of women entrepreneurs from one generation to the other.

Keywords

• women entrepreneurship
• modernity
• development ideology
• Benz Nana
• Togo