A Journey into the Mythical Nights of Togo’s Capital (1960s–Late 1980s). Lomé, known for landmarks like the Grand Market, the beach, and the wharf, holds another story: its vibrant and festive nightlife, filled with music, encounters, and rhythms from Africa and beyond. Dancing bars, discotheques, and nightclubs shaped a unique nocturnal identity, one that still resonates with many generations of Loméans. As early as the 1930s, with venues like Tonyiviadjé in Assigamé and Bar Ambiance in Aguiarkomé, Lomé laid the foundations of its nightlife. Long before modern discotheques, these places were true cultural and social crossroads. Others, like Foyer Pie XII, reflect a time when community centers drove social life. A cosmopolitan city, Lomé soon attracted visitors from neighboring countries, drawn by a musical diversity few West African capitals could offer. While Nigeria pulsed to juju and afrobeat, and Ghana to highlife,
Lomé blended genres: American soul and R&B (Marvin Gaye, James Brown), Ghanaian highlife, Congolese rumba, Cameroonian makossa, and Afro-Cuban music (Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz). Labels like Sikavic played a major role in this scene, bringing stars like Manu Dibango, Koffi Olomidé, Tshala Muana, and M’bilia Bel to Lomé’s stages. This momentum led to the birth of the city’s first true discotheques in the 1970s, including the iconic Number One, inaugurated on September 9, 1972. Originally, a discothèque referred to a place where records were sold, just as the disquaire (record seller) evolved into a DJ, master of tempo and dancefloor atmosphere. Lomé then saw the rise of emblematic clubs, each with its own sonic identity: Copacabana became a haven for rumba, Le Rêve echoed with tango, while Eldelweiss, popular with expatriates, played German and European hits. A typical night started early with tea dances at 6 p.m., followed by dancing bars until 3 a.m., then continued in discotheques. At dawn, partygoers would head to iconic after-hours spots like Oncle Ben, Mikounounou, Chez Vibo, Wait and See, Cacadou, or Milk Bar. The night would end with a signature pâté sandwich from Boulangerie Souper, famous for its warm, crusty baguettes. Godopé, Lomé by Night exhibition brings this golden era back to life. Designed as an immersive journey into a nightclub of the 1960s to 1980s, it features archival photos and a carefully curated musical selection. A special installation, the infinite box, invites visitors into a corridor of mirrors and lights, an endless visual voyage through dancing memories. More than an exhibition, GODOPÉ is a tribute to a living memory: that of a cosmopolitan, eclectic, music-loving city, Lomé the elegant, with its rich soundscape and generations of passionate disquaires. A time when the night never slept… but Lomé danced.
Curator: Hervé Pana
Scenography: Arsène Younang
Curatorial advisor: Georges Kpadenou
Artists: Robert Falschau
